


On Open Waters

by kimurasato



Category: Danny Phantom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-12
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2018-01-24 13:05:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 23,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1606220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimurasato/pseuds/kimurasato
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joining a pirate ship isn't exactly how Danny thought it would be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sea, Ship, and Swords

**Author's Note:**

> Gothiethefairy on tumblr requested I write something Pirate!Vlad and Cabin Boy!Danny.

Danny gritted his teeth as he carried yet another bucketful of food from the kitchens to where the sailors ate their meals. When he ran away to join a pirate ship, he expected to be off on wild adventures all the time, like what was written in the books he read as a child. But so far, all he did was work endlessly until he was bone tired and collapsed into his little corner of the sailors' quarters. Some nights, he slept for only a few minutes before being jostled awake by the crew. His first nights went by without any sleep as he stood on the deck, leaning over the rail and vomiting what little he managed to eat that day. The other sailors all laughed at him, saying the landlubber still hadn't gained his sea legs yet.

Danny glowered at that memory as he dumped the bucket onto the nearest table and got shoved out of the way as the sailors descended on the bucket like ravenous seagulls fighting over a small scrap of food tossed to them. Thankfully, the large man that cooked all the meals liked to sneak some food to him so that Danny always had a little something to eat. If he waited until after the sailors finished, he would never get the chance to eat because the crew tended to eat every last bit in the bucket. While the sailors continued with their feeding frenzy, Danny sneaked off to the deck where he could eat in peace. And not worry about any of the sailors trying to steal what little he had.

Once he found his favorite spot, well out of sight behind the Captain's quarters, Danny sat down and leaned back against the wooden wall as he pulled out the cloth wrapped meal. It wasn't much really, just a simple roll of bread with some cooked fish. The bread was soaked in some of the broth from the stew to keep it from being dry and stale. It was surprisingly tasty, but that could simply be because he was starving and anything would taste like the kind of fine dining that the wealthy would feast upon in their luxurious homes.

"Is it everything you expected?"

Danny nearly choked on the last bite of his bread when he heard the man's voice. Beating on his chest with a fist, he coughed a few times until the food managed to go down his throat. When he lifted his gaze to the man leaning against the wall at his side, Danny gulped, the color draining from his face. As the cabin boy, he often had to run messages and bring food to the Captain's quarters. He had seen the tall man with his silver hair drawn back into a low ponytail dozens of times since his arrival on the ship, but they had yet to hold an actual conversation. He was, after all, only a lowly cabin boy, hardly worth the notice of the Captain unless it was to bark out orders.

"I, um," Danny mumbled, drawing in on himself as he worried saying anything might make the Captain wish to have him walk the plank, "thought there would be more action. You know, sword fights and treasure hunting and firing cannons at enemy ships." His shoulders hunched up as he kept his gaze away from the man. "All I do is run around following orders. It's not very exciting."

"Being a pirate isn't all fun and adventures," the Captain said, and Danny turned his gaze to the man, surprised by the lack of his scarily commanding tone that he usually used when speaking to the crew. "Running the ship takes a lot of hard work. And," he dropped his dark blue gaze to Danny as a smirk tugged at his mouth, "it's best not to run into a fight that I know we can't win. A pirate, I might be, but I prefer not to sacrifice the lives of my men when I know the fight is futile."

"Oh," Danny mumbled dumbly, having not considered that point. Most pirate stories that he knew told of cut throat types that cared only for power and wealth. If it meant sacrificing a few lives to get more treasure, they had no remorse over the men they lost. He was surprised to learn that this Captain wasn't as heartless.

"However, if it's some sword fighting you want, I could give you some private lessons." He placed a hand to his bearded chin as a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "It would be good for you know how to fight in case we run into trouble."

"You'd teach me?" Danny managed to keep his mouth from dropping open in shock. The Captain would teach him personally how to fight with a sword?

"Of course." The man smiled pleasantly. "As your Captain, it should be my duty to make sure you are capable of taking care of yourself."

"That would be great!" Danny exclaimed excitedly at the prospect of learning how to wield a sword. "Um, Sir," he added, slightly abashed over his sudden outburst, "Captain Sir."

"Vlad will do," the Captain said with amusement in his eyes.


	2. A Matter of Worth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life on the ship is sometimes hectic, and Danny vows one day to be a worthy member of the crew.

"You're in the way, boy!" shouted the bigger man in a gruff voice as he knocked Danny out of his way before he continued rushing toward the other side of the deck.

Danny barely climbed back to his feet before the ship rocked again. He scrambled to grab hold of something, but his hands only grabbed at empty air as his feet slid over the deck. He twisted around, blue eyes widening with fear at the sight of the violent waves over the side of the ship. And he was headed straight for the waves with nothing to stop him from flying overboard and being lost to the sea! A scream caught in his throat, forming a lump that cut of his air. He wanted adventures on the high sea. He wanted to master sword fighting under the training of his Captain. He wanted to enjoy meals with the rest of the crew, even if he was just a cabin boy. He didn't want to die now when he hadn't done anything worthwhile in his life. He didn't want to die unknown without anyone left behind to mourn him.

The waves grew even bigger to him, like a monstrous beast waiting to consume him. Then an arm shot out of nowhere, catching hold of him about the waist. His ribs ached as Danny gasped out, suddenly able to breathe again. Turning his head, he gaped at his Captain, who no longer had his silver hair perfectly tied back in a ponytail. His loose damp hair clung to his face as he drew Danny closer to him, holding on tightly to a rope with his other hand to keep them both from sliding into the sea.

"Head below deck!" Vlad shouted over the storm raging around them. They hadn't hit a storm this bad since Danny joined. There were occasional showers and rough waters, but this storm already threatened a few times to capsize the ship. The crew were working hard to navigate the ship through the storm and to calmer water without the ship turning over.

"I can help," Danny argued, determined to prove that he wasn't useless. Plenty of the other crew members believed he was incapable of doing anything more than bringing them food from the kitchen at meal times.

Vlad's eyes narrowed a touch, and Danny felt a shiver run down his spine, and not simply from the icy chill of being completely soaked through from the rain and sea water. "How was nearly falling overboard helping anyone?"

Danny stiffened at the question and the anger in his Captain's voice. "I was thrown off balance. But I won't let it happen again! I can still help the others keep the ship upright and sail through this."

Vlad's jaw clenched, a rage that Danny couldn't remember burning in his blue eyes. "As your Captain, I am _ordering_ you to head below deck and stay there."

Danny's mouth fell open, tasting the salt of the sea. Then his own rage filled him, burning in his chest as he glared at the man. "You think I can't handle this because I'm _just_ a cabin boy? I'm not useless!"

"I have no doubts about that, but I'm not allowing you to risk your life against this storm." Vlad's hand squeezed around Danny's side, and the young man recalled their conversation from not too long ago. Vlad wasn't some heartless cruel pirate Captain. He valued the lives of his men and refused to toss them away in unnecessary battles or situations. "You don't know what to do in this kind of situation because we haven't taught you yet. You'll end up running around trying to help and making a bigger mess of everything, putting not only your life but everyone else's lives in danger. Go below deck and wait there until the storm passes. I promise after this, we'll teach you more about this sort of thing so that you'll be better prepared the next time."

Danny sagged against him, feeling drained and useless. "Sort of like run away now and live to fight another day?"

Vlad nodded. "Can you make it yourself?"

"Y-Yeah," Danny mumbled, though he wasn't sure the man heard him over the storm. He looked pathetic in front of the Captain he was starting to admire, and he hated that. When Vlad released his hold around his waist, Danny carefully made his way toward the door that led below deck as he kept out of the way of the men rushing about the deck. Before he headed below deck, Danny glanced back at Vlad, watching the man for a moment as he barked orders to his men and moved about the ship like they sailed on calm waters rather than a raging sea. Danny didn't want to be the one that always got sent away because he was useless in certain situations . He wanted to become better so that he could be stronger member of Vlad's crew. One day, he would be worth something on this ship.


	3. Clothes, Ribbons, and Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the ship docks, Danny joins his Captain in visiting the town.

It felt like years passed since the last time he set foot on land. It was amazing how long they could survive out at sea if they rationed their supplies right. Most times, when they docked, it was only to pick up fresh water and new food. They could live off the fish they netted from the sea, but after a while, they all wanted something more, like juicy beef and fruit and vegetables. But during those times, Danny usually didn't get the opportunity to join the crew in setting off into the nearby town to collect their supplies. He was left on the ship to help out with any repairs that needed to be done. Over the months, he was given more responsibilities and chores to do. Sometimes, it really felt like the rest of the crew was simply dumping all the stuff they didn't want to do onto him. And it was exhausting.

But today, Danny was finally given the chance to leave the ship! He smiled widely when he stepped off the wooden walkway leading off the ship. But he was a bit nervous. The Captain of their ship requested his presence specifically as he went into town. Danny performed a lot of duties under the instructions of his Captain, and he trained in sword fighting with the older man. But this was different. His Captain never asked for him when he needed to go into town. Danny didn't want to mess anything up and anger his Captain.

"We'll be back sometime after nightfall," Captain Vlad said to his second in command, who nodded and needed nothing more said from his Captain. Skulker had, apparently, been his second in command for years and knew exactly what his Captain wanted, most of the time. "Come along." Captain Vlad snapped his fingers as he strolled forward with that air of confidence about him. He acted as if he owned the town, and that was sort of awe inspiring to Danny. The man never seemed to lose that kind of impression, no matter the situation.

Danny stumbled a step or two before he hurried to walk a pace behind his Captain. "Um," he spoke up awkwardly, glancing around at all the people busily moving about the town as they walked farther into it. It was strange to move among them in their fancy clothing while he was in nearly tattered remains of his shirt and breeches that were covered in stains. Being at the lowest rank on the ship, he wasn't given the chance to acquire new clothing and usually got the throwaways from the rest of the crew. "Where exactly are we going?" The Captain hadn't told him anything about what they would be doing in town.

"We're almost there," Captain Vlad said without really answering the question. They walked along for several more minutes before the man turned into one of the boutiques.

Danny felt hesitant to enter the place while he looked so grimy, but he pushed the feeling away and followed after his Captain. The woman that worked there with her long ebony hair braided and drawn forward over one shoulder wrinkled her nose when her green eyes spied him. Danny shrank back, stepping to hide behind his Captain to avoid her disapproving glare.

"How may I help you today, Sir?" the woman questioned, ignoring Danny's presence as she focused on the silver haired man before her.

"I require some new clothing," Captain Vlad explained as he glanced about the shop, seeming to be oblivious to the demure smile she gave him. Danny's mouth thinned as he gave the woman a flat glare. "A few different suits should be enough." He turned, his dark blue eyes traveling the length of Danny's body. "You've simply outgrown everything you own. Now let the nice lady get you fitted and try on a few things. We'll purchase the ones you like."

"I - What?" Danny blinked, flabbergasted by the man's words. His Captain was buying him clothes? Captain Vlad never bought clothes for any of the other crew members.

"I shall ignore any protests. Now get to it." Captain Vlad nudged Danny forward gently.

The woman didn't seem pleased with this turn events, probably assuming that she would be waiting on the Captain himself. She took hold of Danny by the wrist and dragged him toward the back area of the boutique. "He must really like you," she told him when they were alone, and she brought out a measuring tape to figure out his size. "Of all the times he's visited, he's never purchased anything for someone else. Especially, as I assume you are, a lowly crew member."

Danny bristled. He couldn't help feeling insulted by her words. "So what if I am?" he grumbled. "I'm doing my best to prove myself worthy of being on his ship."

"I'm sure you are." She smirked, and there was something wicked about it. She disappeared briefly and returned a moment later with some clothing in his size. When she offered to help him dress, Danny quickly shooed her away.

He wasn't sure how much time passed while they were in the boutique, but it felt like he tried on nearly everything they had to offer. In the end, Captain Vlad bought him five new shirts, three pairs of pants, a vest, two jackets, and a new pair of shoes. His old shoes were wearing out in the soles, and Danny often ended up just running around barefoot on the ship. Captain Vlad insisted that he wear his brand new suit that he added to the purchase without Danny's knowledge when they left the shop and had the woman dispose of his old clothing.

"You didn't have to buy me anything," Danny said, keeping his gaze lowered as his cheeks felt a touch warmer.

"I wished to." Captain Vlad's fingers threaded through his raven locks, and Danny shivered lightly at the touch. In a moment, the man had the short length of Danny's hair drawn back in a ponytail and tied off with a dark blue ribbon. "It's gotten quite long," his Captain explained, combing his fingers through the ends of the locks. "Would you like it cut?"

Danny shook his head, his face feeling even warmer than before. "It'll just grow out again by the next time we dock."

Captain Vlad nodded. "Now then. How shall we spend our time until tonight?"

"Wh-What?" Danny stumbled to follow the man as Captain Vlad headed down the street. "What's tonight?"

"A party." Captain Vlad paused to turn around and smirk at Danny. "In honor of my birth. And you shall be my date and attend it with me."

Danny blinked several times, his mouth gaping open as he tried to follow his Captain's words. A birthday party? For Captain Vlad? And he would be attending it? His mind spun, and he felt feverish with the heat filling his head.


	4. In a Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny joins Vlad at the birthday celebration.

As night set in, Danny followed his Captain through the streets to, perhaps, the largest manor in the entire port town. He still lugged around the bags of clothes that the man bought for him, but his Captain explained that he would be able to store them away safely once they reached where the party would be held that evening. When they reached the estate, Danny felt doubt eating at his sides. Was this really the wisest decision his Captain could make? Danny tossed a glance toward the silver haired man as he strode easily up to the front doors, which opened at once to allow him entry. Captain Vlad would have done better to invite any other member of his crew to attend this party. Why wouldn't he want his second in command Skulker at his side? Why would he want some cabin boy here?

A young man appeared beside Danny, startling him out of his thoughts as the man easily unloaded him of his things. Captain Vlad gave him an airy flick of his wrist, and the young man bowed before he disappeared to somewhere else in the manor. Danny assumed the man was in the house's employ and was taking his new clothes to be kept somewhere safe until he and his Captain left. Captain Vlad wouldn't have allowed the man to touch any of their things otherwise.

Danny tried not to stumble as he hurriedly followed after Captain Vlad who strode down the hall like he owned the place, and if this was his party maybe he did, until they reached a set of doors at the end. Two neatly dressed servants stood on either side of the doors. When they spotted the Captain, they immediately grabbed hold of the handles and yanked the doors open in unison. The doors opened into a grand ballroom, and even in his new clothes, Danny felt grossly underdressed compared to the fine dresses and suits that the people inside the ballroom wore. When he glanced at the man at his side, he caught the briefest hint of a darkening scowl before the mask was back in place and Captain Vlad moved forward with a pleasant smile to greet the guests. Danny followed slowly, wondering about the quick instant. The only times he saw a scowl like that on his Captain's face was when they were facing a dangerous situation and he was glaring down in the face of an enemy seeking to do harm to his crew. Bright blue eyes swept around the ballroom, but he saw no enemy for his Captain to scowl at.

Captain Vlad floated easily from person to person, making small chat with the guests. It took only about five minutes of following him around like a lost puppy for Danny to realize that his Captain wasn't going to give him any attention at this party. He was never even introduced to anyone, and he wondered yet again why Captain Vlad wanted him to come along to his party. It hardly seemed like the man needed him there at all.

Wandering off, Danny strolled about the ballroom, keeping to the shadows and avoiding the wealthy guests as much as possible. They mostly ignored him anyway, too absorbed in trying to speak to the man of the hour. He knew if they tried to speak to him, he would only show off his low station in life. He already felt out of place enough without that humiliation added onto it. Eventually, he slipped out of the ballroom entirely and roamed the halls of the manor, keeping out of sight from any of the servants, who would most likely try to steer him right back to the ballroom or kick him right out of the manor.

"Didn't enjoy the party?"

At the sudden question, Danny halted, every muscle in his body tensing up. He thought he was being careful about his surroundings and making sure no one would sneak up on him. Apparently, he still had a lot to learn from his Captain on being stealthy. Swallowing thickly, rubbing sweating hands on his pants, Danny turned around to stare at the woman that spoke to him. She was tall and dressed in a manner that showed off the generous curves of her body. Many would call her attire scandalous with the amount of tanned skin that showed, but judging from the color of her skin and the almond shape of the single eye he could see, Danny had a good feeling that she originated from a foreign land. A long curtain of ebony hair hid half her face, but the smirk that stretched across her face sent a cold trickle of fear through Danny.

"I, uh," Danny glanced around, trying to look anywhere but at the woman, "should probably get back now."

The woman flapped a hand at his statement, rolling a bored eye. "You're not missing much. Not even Vlad really wants to be there. He has no choice though. Have to keep up the appearance and all."

Danny frowned as his gaze travelled over the woman's body again. She had a look that could definitely draw any man's eye to her. "Do you know Captain Vlad well?"

She placed a finger to her smirking lips. "Careful. To most people here, he's just a wayward son that travels the world and returns only for his birthday celebration."

Danny blinked then his eyes widened a touch. "They don't know-"

"Nope," she said with a pop of her mouth as she shook her head. "Only the exclusive few." She smiled as she placed a hand to her chest. Her gaze flicked over him, making Danny shift awkwardly with the feeling that she could actually look right through him. "Desiree," she said with an offer of her hand and a grin.

"Danny," he said awkwardly as he reached to shake her hand. But she didn't shake it. Before he could take hold of the hand offered to him, Desiree grabbed his wrist, twisting his palm up as she brought his hand closer to her face. He didn't try to wrench his hand free, mostly because the woman gave off a dangerous feeling to him, like making her angry would be a very unwise thing to do.

A fond smile crossed her face as Desiree stared at his hand. Her finger ghosted over his palm before coming to a stop as her mouth tugged downward. "You should be careful," she warned, her gaze lifting to him, and her eye glowed with a touch of red. "There will be happiness in your life, but you must be wary. A storm is brewing."

"We've weathered storms before," Danny said, his brow knitting with confusion.

Desiree curled his fingers closer and held the hand within both of hers. "Not like this. Your presence is valuable, and that puts you in danger."

The fog of confusion wasn't lifting. Danny felt like he was falling farther into it, struggling desperately to find some sort of understanding. "Why?" he questioned, shaking his head. "I'm just a cabin boy."

Her hands squeezed around his hand, and pain reflected in her eye. "And you should keep that appearance for as long as you can." She smiled, but it was sad. When she released his hand, she continued walking down the hall, leaving Danny standing there alone and struggling to understand her words.


	5. Written on Your Palm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vlad finds Danny on the balcony overlooking the town.

"I wondered where you wandered off to."

Danny turned his head when he heard someone speaking to him. His brow furrowed and his mouth thinned as he watched his grandly dressed captain saunter over to him and join him in leaning against the railing of the balcony. He hadn't seen the man since he sneaked out of the party to explore the estate, eventually finding the quiet balcony to disappear to and watch the stars in the sky. Desiree's words still bounced around in his head, but he hadn't puzzled out their meaning yet.

"I didn't really feel comfortable around those people," Danny admitted, leaning on his folded arms as he turned his gaze back to the sky.

"I'll let you in on a little secret," Captain Vlad said as he leaned closer to the young cabin boy, "I don't like to be around those types of people very much either." His breath ruffled the hair around Danny's ear before he moved away, pressing his chin into the palm of his hand. "I much prefer my crew. They might be crude and crass at times, but they don't put on airs and act fake. They might lie and cheat, but they don't turn their noses up at me."

"That's because you're their captain," Danny pointed, trying to ignore the slight warmth on his cheeks.

Captain Vlad nodded. "But I wasn't always their captain. I had to earn their trust and respect before they would follow my commands."

Danny bowed his head, feeling silly for his comment. Of course, Captain Vlad wasn't always a captain. Even though he came from wealth, money alone wasn't enough to make him the captain that he was, a well respected man of the sea, at least among pirates. When he stared at the man at his side, he could see the longing for the sea in the man's expression. The sea was his element and where he belonged. Not dressed up in fancy garb and strutting about in a room full of rich citizens that sat on their laurels all day. He was a man of action, though he also had the ability to blend in well with the upper class.

His gaze drifted out over the town that he could see from the balcony as he mulled over the thoughts rolling around inside his head. "I met with a woman earlier," Danny mumbled, uncertainty eating at him along with the worry of what her warning meant. "She said her name was Desiree."

Captain Vlad stared at him for a moment, and Danny's breath caught unexpectedly in his throat. "Ah, so you met her." He nodded as he glanced away. "I met her years ago when I was just starting out."

There was a fondness in the man's voice that had Danny wondering just what their relationship was. They were both very attractive people, and he really wouldn't be all that surprised if their relationship was something more than simply friends. But that really wasn't the reason that he brought her up in their conversation. Danny shifted his weight, reaching up to scratch behind an ear.

"She told me something," Danny said, and his captain's eyes quickly found his own. But Captain Vlad said nothing, merely watching him in wait for him to continue. "She said a storm was brewing."

Captain Vlad pressed his mouth into a thin line, his expression becoming rather serious within seconds. "Is that all she said? I need to know everything she said. _Exactlynot_ a pleasant job having to clean up after everyone on the ship. It's gross and disgusting, but I do it because it's my job."

Captain Vlad placed his hands on Danny's shoulders, his expression calm but serious. "It's nothing that you did," he said quietly as he frowned. "You have been a great addition to my crew. But Desiree's prediction can't be ignored."

"So she thinks she can read something on my palm," Danny shouted, his anger not sated yet. "Any fortune teller looking to make a few coins will do the same thing, and their predictions are usually just lies."

"You don't understand." Captain Vlad took a breath and released it slowly. "Desiree has a gift. Where she's from, she was persecuted for being able to read people's future. When I met her, she was near death after being savagely beaten by a mob of men. I brought her back here with me so that she would be safe. Every prediction she's ever given me has come true. If she says your life is in danger, I don't want to risk it. Daniel, Danny," his hands moved to cup the cabin boy's cheeks, "I can't let you board the ship again if it means you might die in the future."

"I'm not going to die." Danny held his captain's gaze, his expression showing how dead serious he felt. "You've been teaching me how to fight with sword. I'm not some weakling that will get struck down at the first sign of trouble. Besides, she said to keep up my appearance as a cabin boy. As long as I'm seen as just that, I should be all right."

"I don't like it." Captain Vlad frowned, but after a moment, he sighed. "I'll allow you to stay. _But_ ," he stared firmly, "at the first sign that your life is in danger, I'm bringing you back here where you'll be safe."

"Why would I ever be in-" Danny snapped his mouth shut at the look on Captain Vlad's face. The man had no doubts in the prediction that Desiree made. "All right," he mumbled, lowering his eyes with the feeling of his stomach dropping. He loved his life on the sea, and he really didn't want to give it up for anything. But he didn't want to become a burden for his captain either. If something, or someone, was plotting to hurt him, he would follow the command of his captain and stay off the ship.


	6. Down into the Depths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When it comes to gathering supplies for the ship, Danny has an unfortunate encounter on the island.

The sea was definitely where he felt like he belonged. Danny stood at the rail of the ship as the sea breeze ruffled his raven locks. Three months passed since the whole birthday celebration for his Captain, and already the ship set anchor in a hidden little cove on an island where no passing ships would spot them. The ship needed some repairs done after an encounter with a navy ship that left a few holes in their sides. They had scraped out a victory, but the cost meant that they would probably need to sit in the cove and work on some makeshift repairs for a while so that they could make it back to port without sinking.

"Well, Whelp." A heavy hand suddenly dropped onto his shoulder, startling Danny from gazing toward the jungle of the island. When he turned his head, Danny blinked up at the second in command. Skulker gave him a crooked smirk. "Captain wants us to head to land and see if there's anything we can find for fixing up the ship and resupplying our food stores, and he wants you to join us."

Danny nodded and followed after the man to the boat they would row to shore. He frowned when his gaze landed upon his Captain, already sitting in the boat, waiting for them to join him. Under his white shirt, Captain Vlad's shoulder was bandaged. During their fight against the navy, he received a stab to his shoulder before cutting down the naval officer then kicking him overboard. Once they were a safe distance from the naval ship, Danny sat with their medical specialist while he stitched up their Captain's injury. It wasn't a pretty sight, and Danny could still remember the feel of Captain Vlad's hand strongly squeezing his own hand as the Doc pierced his flesh with the needle and threaded the string through with each stitch. His Captain grimaced with each puncture and tug until the Doc finished his work.

Danny and Skulker rowed the boat, and in a few minutes, they were dragging it onto the shore of the cove so that it didn't float away. Captain Vlad surveyed the jungle ahead of them then drew his sword with his good arm.

"We need some wood and edible food," Captain Vlad told them. "Bring whatever you can find back to the boat. Don't venture too far into the jungle. And watch your back. We don't know what kind of animals are living on this island. Predators could be lurking in there." He strode forward with that confident air, like he owned the island and had nothing to fear.

"Don't look so scared." Skulker gave him a nudge with his elbow. "There's probably nothing to worry about on this island." He headed into the jungle, carrying his own wide bladed sword.

Danny followed suit, drawing his own sword as he stepped toward the jungle. His sword was old and worn from previous battles, a handy me down sword given to him by his Captain when he first started teaching Danny how to sword fight. Looking at the beaten up blade with all its little nicks, Danny decided next time they were at port he would look at the blacksmith's for a new blade. The grip on this one had always been a little awkward for him.

They spent several hours upon the island, forging through the hot, humid jungle for material to fix the ship and food for their supplies. Danny had a sack full of delicious looking fruit that he was tempted to sample right there, but he held off, saving them for the crew. But the heat was getting to him, and he needed to stop for some water. His throat felt as parched as if he had tried to cross a desert without even a single jug of water to satisfy his thirst. After several moments of searching, he stumbled onto a small spring. The water was cool and refreshing, and Danny drank deeply until it no longer felt like each breath was scratching at his throat. He sat back on his legs with a satisfied sigh then wiped his mouth clean with the back of his hand.

The water of the spring rippled, drawing Danny's eye back to it. With a frown, he wrinkled his brow as he watched something break the surface of the water. Vibrant sea green hair was plastered to the angelic face of a woman. Danny leaned forward on his arms, confused by her presence. There were no signs that any natives inhabited the island, and he certainly hadn't seen a woman slip into the water at any point since he found the spring.

"Danny!"

He turned his head when he heard his Captain call for him. They must be returning to the ship with what they gathered. "I'm-" he called until arms suddenly wrapped around his neck. He jerked forward then tried to regain his balance, but the woman's weight tugged him forward. Was she growing heavier? Her arms tightened, squeezing his throat, and she pulled even harder until he finally lost purchase on slippery mud around the spring. He crashed into the water with a loud splash, and the woman dragged him deeper into the spring, wrapping her tail around him so that his legs were pinned together.

Wait. Tail? That couldn't be right! But when he tried to struggled, his legs were definitely ensnared by something. He dared to look down and saw a scaly tail curling around his legs. His lungs were starting to burn, and he knew he couldn't hold his breath for much longer. If he didn't do something quick, he was going to drown. His arms were free, at least. Taking advantage of that fact, he punched the face hovering before him. It didn't get her to release him, but it pushed her back for a brief moment as she shrieked in rage, the sound making Danny's ears hurt. Wincing, he grabbed for his sword, which was thankfully still strapped to his waist. He pulled it out as the woman was recovering.

The scales of her face, which he could strangely see far better now that they were underwater, darkened from a shimmering pearl to a glossy onyx with her anger. That would be a fascinating thing to note, if she wasn't trying to drown him at the moment. Without another moment's hesitation, he swung the sword, slicing her across the chest. She shrieked again as she lunged at him. Danny cringed at the noise and barely moved in time to avoid a deadly attack. Her sharp nails dragged down the right side of his face. His blood drifted in the water, diffusing like dark clouds. She came at him again, and Danny swung his sword, feeling the blade cut through flesh to bone. His sword wasn't quite sharp enough to actually sever the hand from her arm, but the deep cut was enough that she loosened her hold on him. Danny kicked away from her and swam for the surface.

So close! He could see the surface just in front of him when the woman caught up to him, the sharp nails of her good hand digging into his leg around the ankle. He screamed, bubbles of air rushing for the surface as water filled his mouth, drowning his lungs. She dragged him away from the surface as he kicked at her, trying to get her to release him. He wasn't going to make it, his lungs burning worse than ever with the water in them. An arm suddenly wrapped around him, helping to pull him toward the surface. When they broke it, Danny gasped and coughed, trying to spit up the water he swallowed. They made it to land, but the woman still had a hold of him. She pulled herself up with her good arm, baring sharp teeth at him. There was a whoosh of air over him, a thin line of dark blood appearing along her neck. Her body pitched forward, landing on top of him, but she didn't move again as her cold blood spilled from the deadly wound and onto his legs.

"Are you okay?"

Danny wanted to scream that he wasn't. How could he be okay after nearly being drowned by some creepy spring monster? He kicked her body off him, wanting to get away from it. "Better now," he said, still gulping down deep breaths. He turned his gaze to his Captain to find worry etched deeply in the lines of his face. "I'm okay. Just a little scratched up."

Captain Vlad nodded, though his expression remained concerned. "Let's get you back to the ship. The Doc can take a look at you." He tore off a sleeve of his own shirt and used it to wrap up Danny's ankle, which was still bleeding from having the spring monster's nails dug deep into his flesh. The cuts on his face were fairly shallow and had already stopped bleeding. They gathered up the supplies and headed back to the boat where Skulker waited for them.

Once they made it back to the ship, Skulker making a few joking comments about Danny's encounter with the spring monster, Vlad quickly gave commands to his crew. Then he ushered Danny to his quarters, having the Doc meet them there to see to Danny's injuries.

"No stitches needed, at least," the Doc said after examining the deep marks on Danny's ankle. "Good thing too. We're running low on medical supplies." He glanced over to his Captain.

"We'll pick some more up when we next dock at port."

The Doc nodded as he finished tying off the bandage around Danny's ankle. "These," he moved to examine Danny's face, carefully washing away the dried blood, "aren't too bad. They should heal quite nicely. You might not even scar." His mouth tugged into a wicked grin, showing off slightly graying teeth. "But I hear ladies love a man of the sea with a few battle scars." He rubbed some salve over the claw marks then bandaged the right side of Danny's face for good measure. "To prevent infection," he said.

"I'm sorry," Danny said with his head bowed once the Doc left and he was alone with his Captain.

"I beg your pardon?" Captain Vlad moved to take the chair that the Doc had recently occupied.

"You said to watch our backs, but I let that creature catch me off guard." Danny lifted his head and frowned at the silver haired man sitting before him. "You're not going to send me back, are you?" His brow creased with worry.

Vlad shook his head. "I'm certain Desiree's prediction wasn't referring to a spring monster. If that was the worst of it, I would much happier. But I'm glad the sword fighting lessons have proven useful. As brave as some men act, not all of them can tangle with a creature like that and come out with only a few scratches."

Danny's head remained bowed as his cheeks warmed at the compliment.

"Now," Captain Vlad slapped his hands onto his thighs, "I think you should rest up for the rest of the day. Nearly being drowned by a spring monster earns you a bit of downtime."

Danny nodded as he stood on wobbly legs. After they got into the boat to return to the ship, the exhaustion of his encounter with the spring monster really hit him. He even needed help from Skulker getting back onto the ship because his arms and legs felt weighed down by lead. Being allowed to lay down and just relax sounded like heaven right now, though he hoped to be back to working shape in the morning. He stumbled out of the Captain's quarters and off to his own bed for some much needed sleep.


	7. Sacks of Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When they finally are able to reach port again, Vlad pays his respects to the pirate queen.

"No one else is to leave the ship," Captain Vlad told his men firmly despite many grumblings from the crew wanting to stretch their legs on land. And a few that wanted to visit the taverns and find some booze and "wenches" for the night. Then with a swish of his long coat, he strolled off the ship, leading the way down the gangplank.

Danny brought up the rear of the group selected to leave the ship once they reached port. Skulker walked directly behind their Captain, being his second in command. Then there were the twins, who were nearly as tall and built as Skulker, and they were both rather frightening in a fight. They came along in case any problems arose. Danny was glad he was on the same side as them because he was fairly certain they could snap him like a twig if he let them get their hands on him.

After leaving their ship, Captain Vlad headed down the docks to where another ship was moored. It clearly belonged to another pirate, and Danny sent a wary glance to his Captain, wondering why they would be visiting another pirate. As they walked onto the other ship, Danny couldn't help noticing that its crew kept a wary eye upon their little group. He swallowed tightly, his hand ready to reach for the sword at his side.

One of the crew members led them toward the Captain's quarters. Danny wasn't sure what to expect when they entered. From the looks of the ship's crew, he almost expected to be faced with some hulking Captain with a shaggy beard and an eye patch, maybe even a peg leg. Instead, what he saw made him blink in surprise. Sitting on a grand looking chair like it was a throne was a pale woman with her Captain's hat tilted on her head and large white plume sticking out of it. Her corset was squeezed tightly around her body, and Danny wondered how she could even breathe while wearing it. The corset looked unpleasantly uncomfortable to him. Her brightly colored blue hair was braided and pulled forward to drape over one shoulder.

"Well," she said as she stood up, leaning on her sheathed sword like it was a cane, "look what the tide brought in."

Captain Vlad removed his own hat and bowed lowly to the woman. "Always a pleasure to see you again, Captain Ember." After he stood up straight and placed his hat back upon his head, Captain Vlad unhooked a pouch from his waist and tossed it to her.

The woman, Captain Ember, caught it easily with one hand. She leaned her sword against the chair behind her then opened the pouch. "Yes, yes." She looked up at the other Captain and smirked. "A pleasure indeed. And it looks like you've done quite well since the last time I saw you."

"You're looking lovelier every time we meet," Skulker said, wearing what Danny could only assume was a charming smile, though since it was his first time seeing that kind of expression on the big guy, he wasn't quite sure. Danny's brow furrowed. Was Skulker interested in this woman?

Captain Ember turned and gave him a withering glare. "Oh," she said in a dull tone, "you're still here? I would have thought that Vlad would be rid of you by now."

"Ah, the lady wounds me." Skulker slapped a hand over his chest as if her words physically hurt him.

Captain Ember rolled her vibrant green eyes at him then turned her attention back onto the silver haired Captain. "So what exactly brings you to my town?"

"We had a run in with the naval forces recently, and my ship is in need of repair." Captain Vlad smiled politely with a slight tilt of his head. "As you know, I would never intrude upon your domain if I wasn't in need of help. All I require is some time to repair my ship and gather supplies before we set sail again."

"You have always been good to me." Captain Ember hefted the pouch of gold into the air and caught it again. But she wore a frown upon her face. She was concerned about something that the other Captain told her. "The navy is really stirring up trouble lately." Her jaw clenched, and her eyes narrowed a touch. "You aren't the first ship to wash up onto our docks in need of repairs."

Captain Vlad reached to his hip and unhooked a second pouch. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?" He eyed the pouched for a moment then turned his dark blue eyes onto the other Captain. "A woman of your talents has her ways of learning secrets and hearing gossips."

A smirk carved cruelly across Captain Ember's face. "You better not forget that." Her gaze lingered on the second pouch of gold, her eyes gleaming with hunger for more riches to add to her collection. "Unfortunately, there isn't much to say, though it seems lucky that the navy hasn't heard word of my little paradise on land." She snatched up her sword and threw herself down into her chair, kicking her legs up over one arm of it and crossing her legs. "If I hear anything, I'll send word to you straight away." When she looked back to Captain Vlad, her gaze zeroed in on the pouch in his hand.

"Any information you can dig up would be much appreciated." Captain Vlad tossed her the second pouch, which she greedily snatched out of the air. "I'll tell my men, and hopefully we can leave before the week is up."

"Do be quick with the repairs." Captain Ember's attention was locked on the gold in her pouches, eager to start counting it all. "Appearances to keep up and all, you know. I can't have other pirate ships sitting in dock for too long."

"Of course." Captain Vlad gave her another sweeping bow.

Skulker and twins headed for the door to the Captain's quarters, and Danny turned to follow them but Captain Ember moved surprisingly fast. A moment ago, she had sat leisurely upon her throne, but in the next moment, she stood before Danny with her blade drawn and at his throat. She smirked down at him, but Danny wasn't quite sure how to read the expression on her face.

"I just wanted to ask a few more questions," she said, flicking her green eyes toward Captain Vlad.

Danny swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing uncomfortably against the sharp edge of the sword. When he tossed a cautious glance toward his Captain, he saw the silver haired man wore a sour expression as he met the woman's gaze. Then Captain Vlad nodded to his men.

"Go on ahead. Tell the crew that they can begin repairs on the ship," Captain Vlad told them, and after a moment of silence, the door swung close once the three men had left. "What questions did you have?"

"I don't believe you've introduced me to your newest crew member," Captain Ember said as she tilted her head to the side and let her gaze drift down Danny's body.

"I wasn't aware that a cabin boy warranted an introduction," Captain Vlad countered smoothly.

The woman turned her gaze to him, an eyebrow arching while she cocked half a smirk at him. "You don't normally bring a mere cabin boy to be in my audience."

Danny wiped sweaty hands nervously upon his pant legs. The sword remained at his throat, and he wished that she would put it away already. He knew better to say so out loud though. His Captain had instructed him before they reached port about this meeting. He was to come along and remain silent unless directly asked for a response.

Captain Vlad's mouth pursed, and for a time, he seemed in great debate on how to answer the woman. "You know of Desiree."

"Of course." Captain Ember lowered her sword, sheathing it in one clean movement. "The seer from a foreign land." Her sword banged against the wood floor boards as she placed hand over hand on top of the hilt. "I've always been curious of the future she would foretell for me."

"Perhaps one day." Captain Vlad stood stiffly with his arms folded behind his back. "But her recent prediction involves this young man." Both Captains turned their gazes upon him, and Danny shifted uncomfortably. "His life could be in potential danger, so you'll have to forgive me if I wish to keep him close under the guise of a mere cabin boy to ensure his safety."

"You know keeping a constant watch upon him won't stop the prediction from coming true."

"That doesn't mean I will sit by idly and wait for the fates to claim his life." Their gazes met in a heated glare.

After a few, long minutes, Captain Ember turned her head away with a sigh. "Yes, of course. That's just like you." She shook her head. "Well then. Just don't bring any of that danger to my town."

"I shall do my best to keep clear of here until the danger is over." Captain Vlad tilted his head downward a touch.

"I should hope so. I would hate for there to be any bad blood between us." Captain Ember caught hold of his arm before Captain Vlad could walk past her toward the exit of her quarters. "I'll keep an ear out for any news of someone looking to harm anyone aboard your ship." The corner of her mouth twitched. "Free of charge."

"My deepest thanks." Captain Vlad curled his index finger, commanding Danny to follow him. "We have much to do if we wish to leave port within the week. I should get back and supervise my crew." After a quick exchange of goodbyes, they left Captain Ember's ship.

Danny waited until they were well off her ship before speaking. "Why did you tell her about Desiree's prediction?"

"Because she is one of the few pirate Captains that I actually trust. She'll keep the secret and listen for word of any danger," his Captain explained. "I like to be as prepared as possible. I only hope that anything she hears doesn't come too late."

Danny nodded, but talking about Desiree's prediction left him feeling unsettled and anxious. Almost a month ago, he was nearly drowned by a mermaid. The scars from her raking her claws down his face had healed up nicely, leaving only thin white lines on the right side of his face. He wished that was the danger Desiree mentioned, but he feared the storm that was brewing was going to be a far worse experience than tangling with a mermaid.


	8. Captain's Word Is Law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They set sail again, leaving behind Captain Ember's town, but they aren't off to a peaceful start to their journey across the sea.

Danny strained under the weight of the supplies they had purchased last minute so that the food they brought when they left the docks would still be fresh. Being the cabin boy, it was Danny's job to take the loads of food down to storage while the rest of the crew got the ship ready to push off from the docks. They spent nearly a week at the docks fixing up the ship after their encounter with the naval forces. Captain Ember came by to talk with Captain Vlad, in private. Not even Danny or his second in command Skulker were allowed into the Captain's quarters while the two of them held their meetings. When they finished talking, Captain Ember would stroll out of the Captain's quarter, take a look around at the work the crew was doing, give a nod then walk off to head back to her own ship. Danny wondered if their secret meetings had anything to do with Desiree's prophecy, but his Captain wouldn't tell him anything.

After setting down the last of the food supplies, Danny stood up straight, rubbing at his aching shoulders. Being a cabin boy certainly wasn't easy, and anyone that tried to say it was, just because it marked him as the lowest rank on the ship, didn't know anything about the kind of work he had to do. He didn't mind it, he liked working hard, but the toll on his body could be exhausting sometimes with all the heavy lifting and running around he had to do.

He turned to leave the storage room when he heard a noise behind him. The wooden boards of the floor creaked, clothes rustled, like someone was shifting around nervously. Danny scanned the storage area as he walked toward the back of the room. His hand hovered over the sword kept at his waist, ready to attack if necessary. His footsteps were nearly silent, knowing exactly where to step to keep the boards from creaking under his feet. Cautiously, he peeked around one of the large barrels in the dark corner of the storage room.

A shape flew out at him suddenly. It slammed into Danny's chest, knocking him to the floor with a grunt. He scrambled to his feet and grabbed at the person fleeing the room, but his fingers missed the tail of the person's coat. Growling at himself for letting someone surprise him like that, Danny darted out of the storage room, racing after the stowaway. He caught flashes of bright green hair under the person's hat, reminding him a bit of Skulker. The person, a boy from his build, was surprisingly shorter than Danny, who wondered just how young the stowaway was.

Danny chased him up the steps and onto the deck. He paused for a moment when he broke into the bright light of the day. The town that Captain Ember reigned over faded in the distance. Captain Vlad wouldn't be very happy if they were forced to turn around and dock again when they just set sail. Danny didn't want to be the one who had to bring the stowaway to the Captain, but that duty unfortunately seemed to fall upon his shoulders. He took off running again, easily dodging around crew members in his chase of the stowaway.

"Quit running on deck!" shouted one of the crew after the stowaway slammed into his back.

But before the burly crew member could grab him, the boy danced out of range of his snatching hands with a taunting call. With an extra burst of speed, Danny tackled the stowaway to the deck, holding him pinned down despite his attempts to break free.

"Nice one, cabin boy!" The burly man smacked Danny hard on the back in congratulations.

Danny bit back a grunt, wincing at the sharp pain the smack caused. "Help me tie him up."

The burly man, Danny fought to remember his name, grabbed some extra rope to bind up the boy's hands. Nine, that was the name the man went by! Danny remembered when he noticed that the man was missing one finger on his right hand. His skin was dark, sun kissed from all the time he spent on deck under the hot sun, and tattoos decorated his biceps.

"Unhand me, you ruffians!" the boy shouted as Danny dragged him to his feet. Now that he was standing close to the boy, Danny saw his bucked teeth peeking out when he talked.

"What did you expect to happen when you stowed away on a pirate ship?" Nine questioned and flicked the boy on his forehead. "You better take him to the Captain."

Danny nodded as dread set in, not wanting to have their Captain yell at him. He grabbed hold of the back of the stowaway's coat and dragged him along as he walked toward the Captain's quarters. The boy screamed and protested so much that he wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the crew came to see who he was trying to kill. By the time he reached the door to the Captain's quarters, he didn't even need to knock on it. Captain Vlad stood in the open doorway, glaring flatly as they approached and looking very much not in the mood to deal with this kid. The door shut after Danny entered the room, and he kept a tight hold on the stowaway as the boy struggled and probably would have tried biting at him if he could manage it.

"What exactly is going on?" Captain Vlad asked dryly, his tone not pleased, as he walked back to his desk and leaned against the front of it.

"I found him hiding out in the storage room," Danny explained.

Captain Vlad folded his arms, his dark blue eyes narrowing at the short boy. "Did you think we wouldn't notice a stowaway on board? Because I assure you, the moment you started stealing food, I would know about it." He wasn't lying about that either. He had the cook keep careful track of the food used, even the scraps that he snuck to Danny on occasion were counted, and once he found that something didn't add up in the storage, he would alert the Captain. "So tell me, boy, why-"

"It's not _boy_ ," snapped the stowaway with his mouth pursing and anger flashing in his bright green eyes. "It's Youngblood." He lifted his chin into the air with a look of pride. "And I'm gonna be a great pirate Captain one day."

Captain Vlad didn't look even slightly impressed by the boy's claim. "You won't get anywhere sneaking aboard a ship and acting like a privileged spoiled brat."

"I'm not-"

"Silence!" Captain Vlad shouted, his voice booming in the room, and Youngblood snapped his mouth shut. "If you had tried sneaking aboard almost any other pirate ship, I can almost guarantee that those pirates would have no qualms about killing you or throwing you overboard and letting you drown or be eaten by sharks. You think playing pirates is a game? It's not. The sea is a harsh mistress, and if you don't know how to handle her, she will swallow you up and leave your bones at the bottom of her great depths. You say you want to be a pirate Captain someday, then start growing up."

"What do you want me to do with him?" Danny asked. "We're already at sea."

Captain Vlad nodded in thought. "Ember and I are on friendly terms, but I don't relish the idea of having to pay out more of our gold to buy a short time to dock at her town again. We'll have to hold him until we reach our next stop. Then we can leave him to figure out his own path."

"But I want to be a pirate Captain!" Youngblood argued.

Captain Vlad considered him for a moment with cold eyes. "This ship already has a Captain."

"But - But you can teach me how to be a Captain! Then I can get my own ship and crew."

Captain Vlad frowned then his gaze drifted to Danny, who stood up a bit straighter and gulped under his Captain's gaze. "Well, then I suppose you'll have someone working under you now, Danny. You can get him started with cleaning up the mess below deck."

"How is working for this dweeb going to teach me how to be a pirate Captain?" Youngblood demanded.

"You'll do it and listen to everything _Danny_ tells you to do because I am the Captain of this ship," Vlad answered. "And if you argue, I'll kick you off this ship first chance I get."

Youngblood gulped. He was clearly reluctant to be a servant under a lowly cabin boy, but he had no other choice if he wished to stay aboard the pirate ship. Danny untied the rope binding the boy's hands. Then he led Youngblood below deck where they had to clean up after the rest of the crew, which would be a long, unpleasant job. At least now, he would have a second pair of hands helping him, which hopefully would make the job go a little faster.


	9. Ranting against the Tides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny gets fed up when Youngblood continues acting like a spoiled brat.

Danny stood up straight, wiping the sweat from his brow. He thought after Captain Vlad assigned Youngblood to work under him that his workload would be cut in half. Instead, it almost felt like he was doing even more work than usual. Perhaps because he had to put up with a whiny brat while he did his job.

"Why do _we_ have to do this?" Youngblood complained, which actually meant why did _he_ have to do it.

Danny turned around, giving the young boy a flat glare. He, himself, was sweaty, and probably smelly, from cleaning the ship and running other errands for the crew. Meanwhile, Youngblood had barely a speck of dirt on him, laying in one of the crew's hammocks while he fanned himself. For a good moment, Danny was tempted to take the bucket of dirty water and dump it on the boy, but that would only force him to clean the living quarters yet again.

"You're supposed to be helping me with this," Danny said, somehow managing to keep his voice even despite his frustration. Youngblood had only been aboard the ship for less than a month, and Danny was already wishing that Captain Vlad would drop the boy overboard the next time they docked at port.

Youngblood sat up, scowling at him. "This is pointless! I'm going to become a Captain one day! Why should I waste my time scrubbing floors and doing laundry? I should be learning how to command a crew."

Danny threw down his rag, and it splashed water out of the bucket, that he would have to clean up later but at the moment the action felt rather satisfying to him. He stomped over to the boy and grabbed a hold of his shirt. With a sharp yank, he drew Youngblood within inches of his angry face.

"Listen, brat," Danny growled dangerously. "The Captain assigned you to work under me because right now, you're the lowest rung on the ladder, which means it's your job as much as it is mine to clean the ship and do whatever errands the Captain or anyone else on the ship orders us to do. You are just a kid. A brat. You don't know anything about how to man a ship. You think this is a game? It's not. Do you know how to lower the sails? Do you know how to steer the ship properly? How adjust to the wind for speed or go against it? Do you know what to do in the middle of a violent storm with the waves pitching the ship almost to the point of capsizing? Do you know how to properly manage the stores of food and water to ensure that you're not left sitting in the middle of the sea with barely a crumb of food and no drinkable water? Do you even understand why the Captain works us so hard to keep the ship clean? It's because a clean environment is less likely to breed disease among the crew? What would you do if one of the crew ended up with scurvies or some other disease? You are too young to know even a hundredth of the information you need to be able to properly run a pirate ship. The Captain knows that the best way for you to _learn_ all of what you need to know is to actually _work_ on a ship. Do you honestly think he started out as a Captain right off the bat? No! He had to work for it, work for the respect of his crew. And I can tell you right now that no one respects you because you're just a deadweight brat."

Youngblood actually looked terrified of him while Danny shouted in his face. Danny had to resist smirking at that reaction because that would ruin the fury he was trying to display toward the boy. Sudden clapping, however, snapped him from his rage, and Danny pulled back to glance toward the door of the crew's living quarters. The second in command stood leaning against the doorframe as he slowly clapped.

"Excellent speech," Skulker said with half a cocky smirk twisting across his face. "You should really listen to what he says, kid."

Skulker's bright green eyes narrowed at Youngblood, and Danny couldn't ignore how they had similar features. The same green eyes and vibrant green hair, but Youngblood had other features that reminded him of someone else that he struggled to place. Skulker pushed away from the door and walked toward them, towering over Youngblood. Danny had nothing to fear from the large, muscle bound man, since he generally was on Skulker's good side. Youngblood, on the other hand, gulped, the color draining from his face as he stared up at the second in command.

"You want to be a respectable Captain one day," Skulker said, glaring coldly at Youngblood, "then you better start growing up real fast. The sea doesn't treat brats well. She'll chew you up and spit you out without a care in the world. You act like a selfish brat on a ship, you could cost people their lives. If you don't shape up, Captain Vlad _will_ kick you off this ship. So if I were you, I would get up off my lazy ass," he twisted the hammock suddenly, spilling the young boy onto the floor, "and get to work." Skulker glanced Danny's way. "If he gives you any more trouble, just let me know." After patting Danny on shoulder, Skulker walked out of the crew's living quarters.

"I don't plan on ratting you out," Danny said, frowning as Youngblood picked himself up from the floor, "but I'm also pretty sure that the Captain will know that you aren't carrying your weight on the ship. He's the type that keeps tabs on what's happening on his ship at all times." His brow creased when Youngblood glanced at him with an odd look in his eyes, and Danny wasn't quite sure to make of it. "What? What's wrong?"

Youngblood shook his head as he turned his gaze back to the doorway through which Skulker disappeared moments ago. "That was my dad."


	10. The Captain's Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny learns a bit more about Youngblood after that surprising revelation.

"Is that why you decided to stowaway on this ship?" Danny asked as they helped in the kitchen, peeling potatoes. They were alone, giving them the chance to speak privately without worry of being overheard. Ever since he blurted out that Skulker was his father, Youngblood had been much more obedient in doing chores around the ship, for which Danny was thankful. "Just to meet your dad? How did you know Skulker was your dad? And your mom just let you do this? Or did you run away without even telling her anything?"

"It's none of your business." Youngblood scowled at him, shaving off the peel of the potato in his hand with a small knife. After a few minutes, he sighed. "You already met my mom."

"Captain Ember," Danny blurted out, and he nearly smacked himself for not realizing that right away since Youngblood resembled his mother as much as he did his father.

Youngblood nodded and tossed the peeled potato into the pile before picking up another. "Yeah, she was often busy a lot with being a pirate Captain. You can't just disappear from the world for a few years to raise a child. She has a standing among pirates, and she needs to keep up that image. But she makes time for me as much as she could whenever she docks back in town. When she was at sea, she left me with her parents. I know it probably sounds weird and like she didn't care about me, but she loves me. Seeing her as a Captain is what really inspired me to want to be a pirate Captain myself. But," he sighed again, "for the past while I've been trying to get her to teach me to be a Captain and take me to sea with her. She thinks being twelve I'm still too young." He rolled his eyes. "It's not like I don't spend a lot of time on her ship when she is in town. I just," he shrugged, "never learned the whole how to actually sail a ship. I got to run around and the crew all treated me like I was their child. Then Captain Vlad showed up, and he brought my dad with him to meet with my mom. Well, I didn't know he was my dad at first, but I thought maybe because we share the same hair color and all. Mom didn't really like talking about him, and all she would tell me was that he was a pirate. After you all left the ship, I pestered her about it, and she finally caved and told me that he was my dad."

"But your mom never told Skulker that he had a son." Danny blinked in surprise. Obviously, Skulker didn't have a clue, or at least, he never showed any recognition that he knew that Youngblood was his son.

"As far as I know, they had a night together right before my dad shipped off with Captain Vlad." Youngblood paused in peeling potatoes, frowning as he stared at the silver blade of his knife. "I think she was kind of mad at him for leaving. Like maybe she thought he would stay with her, but then he was gone first thing in the morning. Then she found out later that she was pregnant. You can imagine how well she took that news at first. It's pretty hard for a woman to make it as a pirate, especially as a Captain. She tried to hide it from the crew for a long time, but eventually they wised up enough to realize something was up. They helped her cover it up from other pirate Captains. I get that there are some pretty cutthroat pirates out there, but my mom has a pretty good crew. They're like one giant family. I guess kind of like what Captain Vlad has. They were all happy to help her through the pregnancy and protecting her if any other pirates threatened her. Some of the other pirate Captains would have seen my mom being pregnant as a show of weakness."

Danny nodded in understanding. It couldn't be easy for Captain Ember to work her way up to that position, not to mention the fame and power she gained, as a woman. There were still plenty of superstitious sailors in the world that believed it was bad luck for a woman to even be onboard a ship.

"Are you going to tell him?"

Youngblood paled slightly, his knife halting for a second before he continued his work. "I - I don't know. Mom never told him about me. What if he gets angry? What if he doesn't want anything to do with me?"

Danny could understand the boy's hesitancy. How would he feel if he had never known his father and finally had the opportunity to meet him for the first time? He would be shaking in his boots with nervousness, fearing that maybe his father wouldn't want him. It probably didn't help things for Youngblood that his first real encounter with his father involved getting yelled at and thrown out of a hammock.

"I'll go with you," Danny offered, grabbing another potato to peel. He almost laughed when Youngblood snapped his head around with a rather comical look of surprise. "If you want, of course. You know, moral support can sometimes be a big help." His knife skimmed over the potato, shaving off the peel, piece by piece. "I know Skulker acts all big and tough, and he can sometimes have a pretty gruff personality, but when you work on a ship and are partly responsible for the lives upon it, you don't tend to take slacking off and jokes too well. That's not to say that he doesn't like jokes, but if it endangers someone's life, he's not going to stand for it. But he can be really caring. If he didn't care at all, he wouldn't take being the second in command as seriously as he does." He frowned a little at the doubtful look on Youngblood's face. "Okay. Skulker probably won't be A-okay with it when you first tell him. This is going to be pretty big news for him. He never had any idea that Captain Ember was pregnant when he left. You're going to need to give him some time to digest the information. Don't take an initial response to mean that he doesn't want you."

"Wow," Youngblood said dryly. "That sure makes me want to just run out and tell him everything. Thanks for that amazing boost in confidence."

Danny sighed and landed a glare on the young boy. "I just don't want you to get some idea that Skulker will be overjoyed and drag you into a big hug and everything will be amazing and perfect after you tell him. Yes, I do believe that there will be a very good possibility that Skulker is going to be shocked and maybe start yelling. But don't let that discourage you. This isn't going to be an easy thing for either of you. Family takes work, and he's missed out on the last twelve years of your life."

"I guess." Youngblood shrugged, returning his attention to the potato in his hand. "I just don't know how I'm even going to tell him."

"Take your time. Tell him whenever you feel ready." Danny couldn't think of any other advice he could give the boy. He was never in the same position that Youngblood was currently in, so he couldn't fully understand the anxiety Youngblood felt, though he could imagine that it wasn't easy. They lapsed into silence as they finished peeling potatoes for supper that night.


	11. Changing Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny brings his Captain's dinner to him as usual and learns the trouble ahead.

Danny knocked on the door as he balanced the tray in his other hand. The voices beyond the door fell silent, and a moment later, he was given permission to enter. After opening the door, he walked into the Captain's cabin with his recent shadow following after him. Captain Vlad sat at his desk as his second in command stood in front of it. Skulker's arms were folded, and a frown had settled deeply upon his face.

"Your supper, Sir," Danny announced, carrying the tray of food over to his desk. His gaze swept over the items upon the desk, which wasn't much. A map of the area they sailed around took up most of the desk with marks indicating ports that would offer them safe docking. He recognized the small island with a small crown mark over the town over which Captain Ember reigned. There were other papers on the desk too, folded letters and rolled up scrolls.

Captain Vlad nodded as he stowed away one scroll in a drawer of his desk. "Excellent." He turned his attention to Skulker. "We'll finish our conversation later."

"Right," Skulker agreed. "I better grab some food before it's all gone anyway."

Danny watched Skulker walk toward the door. Then his gaze flicked toward Youngblood and that anxious look in his eyes as he worried his lower lip with his attention fully focused upon his father. "Ah, if you're not busy later," Danny said, catching Skulker's attention before he left, "Youngblood was asking about navigating earlier. Since you're really good at it, and it's a good skill for a Captain to have, maybe you could give him some lessons."

Skulker glanced toward Youngblood, and his mouth pressed thin. His eyes did that little squinty thing which usually meant he wasn't happy with someone. Things had gotten better since Youngblood started carrying his weight on the ship, but Danny suspected Skulker still considered him a little brat. Then he looked away, rubbing at the back of his neck but still frowning.

"Yeah," Skulker answered, "I suppose I could show him a few things about navigating. But first, I'm getting some food." Throwing a wave over his shoulder, he left the Captain's cabin.

"Sometimes, I really hate you," Youngblood grumbled as he passed Danny on the way out of the room.

Danny sighed, wondering if his attempt had set him back two steps with Youngblood. But so far, the boy hadn't made any effort to actually talk with his father. Danny had watched them, and Youngblood always got nervous around Skulker before eventually running away. The whole show was starting to get old, and Danny wouldn't be surprised if everyone else on the ship had already figured out the connection between them.

"So," his Captain said, drawing Danny's attention back to him, "if Skulker's the father, who's the mother?" Captain Vlad didn't look at him as he picked up his fork and knife and began slicing the slab of meat upon his plate.

Danny tugged at one ear as he glanced around the man's private cabin. It was more richly decorated compared to the rest of the crew's living quarters. His bed looked far more comfortable than the hammocks and floor mats and cots the rest of them slept on. He had some treasures that they collected displayed around the room for people to see the second they walked into his cabin. There was a jewel encrusted goblet sitting upon a small shelf along with some ancient looking tomes. He had a set of jewelry: a necklace with a sapphire pendant, earrings with ruby droplets, rings set with diamonds, and a crown of polished gold locked away in a glass case. Danny's gaze caught for a moment on a cane resting against the wall, though it looked like it hadn't been used in years.

"Captain Ember," Danny said without looking at his Captain. He shifted awkwardly for a while before he finally turned his gaze onto the silver haired man.

Captain Vlad nodded, chewing on a bite of his steak, a rare treat their cook sometimes liked to spring upon the crew. It was always crazy among the rest of the crew on those nights. "I see now why there's always that hostility between them," he said then the corner of his mouth twitched. "Well, hostility from Ember. I always wondered, but she would never confide in me what transpired between them. I'm not surprised she could keep it a secret for so long. She's very good with secrets."

"She has a good crew too," Danny added as he leaned his hands on the desk. "They helped her cover up the pregnancy." His eyes wandered around the room again, landing on the cane before turning to the drawer on the other side of the desk. "What were you discussing with Skulker?" His brow furrowed as he lifted his gaze to his Captain.

Pausing in his meal, Captain Vlad stared at Danny, and his mouth slowly stretched into a frown. With a sigh, he set down his fork and knife. "We received word from Ember earlier. We'll have to reroute our course to the island of D'Shon." He shifted his tray toward the side of his desk then pointed out the small island where they were headed next. It looked to be about a week's journey away, as long as the winds favored them. Captain Vlad frowned in concern as his finger moved away from the island toward coordinates between them and the island. "But Ember has heard rumors that the naval forces have a fleet set up here. If we keep going on our course, we'll head straight into them. With the number of ships they have, we'll quickly be defeated. But I'm concerned about our supplies. We could change course and head for this island." He moved his finger toward a much larger island to the west of where they were heading. "But I'm not certain what to expect when we dock. We've never been there before, though it's a well populated island."

"You're worried if the naval forces are camping out there," Danny said as he pointed back to where his Captain said they were located, "then maybe they have a base somewhere close by." His gaze trailed back to the larger island. It was a good location for the naval forces to use for resupplying. "And if we dock there, we might run into them even when we're trying to avoid them."

Captain Vlad nodded gravely. "It's a good spot though. If we stop there and resupply, we can shoot right past the naval forces at sea. The other islands are too far off with the supplies we have."

Danny stared at the setup of things, and he didn't like what he saw. "Are we sure there's treasure on the island of D'Shon?"

Captain Vlad laced his hands together and pressed his mouth to his knuckles as he stared at the map. "You think it's a trap?"

Danny swallowed nervously. It wasn't generally the cabin boy's place to advise his Captain on their plans. "It-" Danny wiped his hands on his pants. "It just seems highly suspicious, Sir. We hear a tip about a treasure then the naval forces turn up basically cutting us off? It's almost like they were waiting for us. Or any pirate ship really. If it was just one naval ship, I wouldn't think anything, but from what you said, it sounds like they brought a big enough fleet to crush any pirate daring to make the trip to the island of D'Shon."

Captain Vlad nodded. "Skulker and I shared the same thoughts." He sighed tiredly, and perhaps with a little disappointment. "It sounded too good to be a real clue to the legendary pirate Captain's treasure. No one's been able to find it in over a century, but I thought perhaps if we went to the island of D'Shon, we might be able to locate a clue to its whereabouts. For now, we'll just have to make port and gather supplies then head out as quickly as possible to avoid the navy's notice."

Danny's head bobbed in understanding. They heard plenty of whispers about the treasure from time to time. Apparently the treasure contained enough riches for a hundred men to live the rest of their lives comfortably. Everyone searched for it, but the legendary pirate Captain had hid it too well.

"Well, I'll leave you to your meal then, Sir." Danny bowed to his Captain then he turned to leave the man's quarters, closing the door behind him. But he couldn't help feeling a bit nervous about the mention of the naval forces. It wasn't too long ago that they ran into the naval forces, which left their ship in great need of repair. They had barely managed to escape that encounter, and Danny didn't relish the idea of meeting with a much greater force of the navy. He hoped they got away from the navy infested waters quickly and without trouble.


	12. Private Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny accidentally overhears Skulker and Youngblood talking.

Danny found a quiet spot on the ship's deck after getting his own dinner from the chef. He grinned when he found a few slivers of juicy steak tucked within the doughy roll. Being on the chef's good side definitely had its advantages, one being he was almost always guaranteed a portion of any special treats they had for supper each night. If he had to fight against the crew, most of whom were much larger and stronger than he, he wouldn't be so lucky.

"And you see right there," Skulker said, his voice coming from down the deck, "is the North Star. That's important to remember. If ever lost at sea, just look for the North Star. It's good to know constellations for navigating too. They'll help you know where you are if you learn their relation to each other and their movement through the sky."

"Ugh," Youngblood complained. "That sounds like a lot to remember."

A smile pulled at his mouth then Danny bit into his steak roll. Nothing had been revealed yet about the relationship between the two, but at least they were talking to each other. Instead of Youngblood running away before he got the courage up to speak to his father. He didn't feel it was polite for him to continue sitting there while he ate his dinner, but he couldn't contain his curiosity. Would Youngblood finally brave telling his father who he really was? Danny hoped he would, but even if Youngblood didn't, maybe the two of them could at least bond while talking about navigation.

"If you're going to be a Captain one day, it's important for you to remember a lot of things," Skulker said, and Danny could picture the frown on the man's face. "If you think that's too much for you to handle or too much work, then maybe being a Captain isn't a suitable dream for you."

Danny winced. He certainly wouldn't want to hear a harsh statement like that from his father. But Skulker had a point. Being a Captain was hard work and required knowledge of many things. If he wanted to pursue being a Captain, Youngblood couldn't slack off when things seemed difficult.

"I can work hard!" Youngblood argued and sounded like he had puffed out his cheeks as he pouted at Skulker's words.

Skulker was silent for a brief moment then let out a snorting laugh. "Keep up with that stubborn attitude, and we just might make a Captain out of you after all." A grunt and thumping sound suggested Skulker had given Youngblood a few hard pats on the back. "Now. What else can I tell you about navigating?" Skulker scratched at his bearded chin in thought.

"A-Actually, um," Youngblood said, his voice cracking slightly with his nervousness, "there was something else I wanted to talk to you about."

Danny gulped down his mouthful of steak roll, the wad feeling much too large to fit down his throat. This was not a conversation on which he should be eavesdropping. He carefully wrapped up the remainder of his supper and grabbed his cup of water. Hopefully, he could sneak away without being caught by father and son. He had gotten rather good at being stealthy when he needed. It sometimes worked to his advantage in fights if he caught his opponent by surprise.

"What?"

At Skulker's shout, Danny jumped, his water spilling from its cup. He caught a hint of outrage, and he liked to believe it was more over the fact that Ember never told Skulker anything about having a child with him rather than being angry over having a child altogether. But it wasn't his place. He had already interfered enough by forcing them into a situation where they would have to talk to each other. How they handled things from here was up to them.

"Seems he found a bit of courage."

Danny froze when he heard the quiet comment. Slowly he turned his head to find his Captain leaning against the back wall of his cabin. His dark blue eyes gazed out over the sea, seeming to stare deep into the horizon where sea and sky met blending together in the darkness.

"I, uh," Danny licked his lips nervously, "probably should have kept my nose out of their business. If this causes trouble-"

Captain Vlad shook his head. "If they can't learn to get along, I will have to return the child to his mother. He doesn't necessarily need to learn from me how to be a Captain, but I know Ember probably saw this as an opportunity for Skulker and their son to bond."

"Which was never going to happen if Youngblood was going to run away at every chance he had to _actually_ talk to Skulker." Danny still felt a little guilty for forcing the topic though. He walked over to the rail of the ship and leaned upon it, gazing at the calm waters as he rested his supper and cup upon the rail. The night was peaceful with a light breeze blowing. If things kept up, they would reach the port of the island his Captain mentioned earlier in good time. But there was still the naval forces to consider and of which to be wary.

"Whether you interfered or not, they were bound to have this conversation at some point," his Captain said, almost like he could read the guilt in his young cabin boy.

Danny considered then shook his head. "It still was none of my business."

Captain Vlad chuckled softly. "You are a kind and considerate young man. I do not fault you for wishing to open the lines of communication between them."

Danny turned around to lean back against the rail. He studied his Captain for a while. "Would you have done the same?"

A wry smirk formed on the man's face. "I am not as kind and considerate as you."

Danny's brow pinched as he frowned. "You wouldn't have helped Desiree if you didn't have a little kindness and compassion in you."

Captain Vlad's mouth pressed slightly together, seeming to consider the comment for some time. "I suppose you have a point there." The corners of his mouth twitched. "But I would never think to bother interfering in situations I consider to be unnecessary. Skulker and Youngblood's relationship is not my concern unless they make it so by stirring up trouble on the ship. You, on the other hand, care a great deal about people."

Danny shrugged. "Family's always been important to me."

Captain Vlad nodded as he picked up something leaning beside him. Then he walked over to join Danny at the ship's rail. "Is that what drove you to join my ship?" He eyed Danny for a moment then stared at the sea. "Because of your family?"

Danny shifted awkwardly, fussing unnecessarily with his clothing. "Y-Yeah. I doubt my parents would really approve if they knew how I was making my money. I think they still believe that I went off to become a sailor, not a pirate. I send them a good portion of my share of the treasure we take. I don't want them to lose the land they own, and I want my sister to be able to go that fancy academy she's always dreamed of. I was never much good with other jobs. Usually, I made a mess of everything, and the pay was always pretty poor. I thought-" He frowned, tilting his head back to stare at the stars above them. "You hear stories all the time about pirates. Sailing the seas. All the treasure they have. I know that's not all there is to being a pirate. But I always felt a calling to the sea, and if I could earn enough to help out my family, well, that made this life all the more appealing."

"Noble too, I see." His Captain smirked, and maybe there was a little pride to it, like he was pleased with his decision of accepting Danny as a member of his crew.

Danny scratched at a pink cheek, his gaze darting about until they landed on the item resting next to his Captain. He recognized it from his Captain's cabin. It was one of the treasures the man kept as part of his personal collection. The cane had a nice mahogany lacquered shaft with a silver grip and a ruby set into the top. It drew the eye despite being somewhat plain compared to some of the other treasures they procured.

Captain Vlad followed his gaze then lifted the cane into his hands. "I noticed you looking at it before. A nice little trinket, isn't it?" He gripped the silver part of the cane, and with a sharp jerk, he yanked it outward to reveal a blade hidden within the shaft of the cane. "It could use a bit of sharpening and polishing. Probably hasn't seen any real battle. But it could make a decent blade if the one who wields it is skilled enough."

When it was held out to him, Danny hesitantly accepted it. The hilt felt good in his hand, like it was crafted to fit his grip. His Captain hadn't lied about the blade needing some touching up, but at the next port they made after getting out of these naval infested waters, he could visit a blacksmith to sharpen and polish the rusty, dull blade. Then he snapped his gaze back up to his Captain.

"Wait. You mean, you're giving me this sword?"

Captain Vlad nodded. "I have no use for it myself, and it seems to have caught your interest."

Danny stared in awe of his Captain's kindness. "T-Thank you, Sir!" He returned the sword to its cane sheath, missing the small smile upon Captain Vlad's face.


	13. Smith and Tinker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While stopping at port to resupply, Danny checks around for a blacksmith to fix up the sword his Captain gave him.

"Return by dawn," was the instruction his Captain told him when he requested leave from the ship. Danny set out once they had docked at port in a town he soon found out was called Cree. Captain Vlad's plan to avoid the naval forces patrolling the island of D'Shon had worked and they made it to port without an encounter. But walking the streets, Danny saw it was wise of them to disguise their ship as a fishing vessel. He passed by several men and women sporting the navy's white uniform. His throat ran dry each time he crossed paths with one, and he prayed they wouldn't immediately spot him as a member of a pirate ship. Luckily, they didn't pay him any attention.

So far, his search for a blacksmith had come up empty. A handful of blacksmiths existed in Cree, but their prices were far more than he was willing to pay. His hope dwindled, and he thought maybe he should put off fixing the blade of the cane sword until they were well away from the naval forces on the lookout for pirates, but since they weren't leaving until morning, he decided to at least try to find a blacksmith.

Danny stepped into the next blacksmith shop, not expecting much difference from the rest he had visited. If the prices here were as high as everywhere else, he would return to the ship and wait until their next stop at port. The bell over the door jingled when he opened it, alerting the blacksmith to the arrival of a customer.

_Boom!_

Danny jumped back, slamming his back into the door as he watched a cloud of smoke spill out from the door to the backroom. Maybe it would be best if he skipped this place entirely. The sound of an explosion didn't build a lot of confidence in the blacksmith's abilities.

"I swear if you blow up the shop, I'm going to cook nothing but vegetables for a year," a woman shouted before she appeared, walking out of the same door with the smoke lazily rolling out of it. Smears of soot dotted her face, made worse when she reached up and wiped at a cheek with one hand. Her violet eyes flashed toward him, and Danny realized it was too late to sneak out of there. "What can we do for you?" The woman walked over to a counter and found a rag behind it with which to clean away some of the soot covering her.

"Uh, I just-"

"Aw, come on, Sam!" A man joined them in the front of the shop. He lifted a pair of goggles to rest them on top of his head then put on a pair of glasses. "You're not serious about the vegetable thing, are you?" The expression the man wore made it seem more like the woman, Sam, had threatened to chop off his fingers.

"Oh, I'm dead serious, Tucker." Sam shot the man a glare. "If you blow up my forge, vegetables from the garden will be all we'll have."

"Yeah, well, it's not like we have that much business right now anyway," Tucker grumbled, fiddling with some metal bits in his hands.

"Wait. This is your forge?" Danny pointed at Sam, and his eyebrows rose up in surprise.

"Yeah." Sam turned her narrowed eyes upon him. "And? What's wrong with that? You don't believe that a woman is just as capable of being a blacksmith as a man?"

"Don't answer that," whispered Tucker, shaking his head with his green eyes wide behind his glasses.

Danny felt sweat prickling at the back of his neck when he caught the anger in Sam's eyes. "Ah, no." He laughed nervously. "It's just, all the other places I've been to today were run by big burly men. Um, but they had crazy prices, so I was hoping to find someone a bit more reasonable."

"See?" Tucker flailed an arm at Danny. "I told you we should raise our prices too."

"That would hardly help with business," Sam shot him down, and Tucker sighed, hanging his head as his shoulders drooped. "With the navy setting up a base here, a lot of the blacksmiths have taken to increasing their prices to take advantage of them. Of course, the ones that come in here take one look at the fact that I'm the blacksmith and leave because they don't think a woman can do the same work as a man."

Danny hesitantly glanced toward Tucker. "What about him?"

"He's just a _tinkerer_!" Sam snapped, slamming her hands down on the counter.

"You don't have to say that like it's an insult." Tucker frowned. "My _tinkering_ makes money too."

"I didn't mean it like that." Sam sighed, exhaustion weighing down her shoulders. "I'm just sick and tired of everyone assuming you're the blacksmith and I'm just the pretty face." After a moment, in which she seemed to calm herself, she turned back to Danny. "So what was it you needed?"

Despite his earlier misgivings, Danny relaxed, somehow feeling at home with these two. They were about his age, and he hadn't spent much time around his peers ever since joining the pirate ship. Not that he didn't enjoy the crew, but it was nice talking to people who weren't way older than he.

"I have a sword." Danny unstrapped it from his back and removed it from the sack he had hid it in, glad he had thought to do so especially with the navy around looking to pry into everyone's business. "It needs some sharpening and polishing." He drew the sword from its cane sheath and presented it to Sam.

"Not exactly the most normal of swords." Sam lifted an eyebrow at him then turned her gaze to examine the blade. She took it from his hand. After a few practice swings, she nodded. "It's a well balanced blade. Light but still with some weight to it. Good grip. Despite that it looks more like a decoration than a sword to use for battle. What did you say do again?"

"Fishermen," Danny answered promptly. "But, you know, it's dangerous out there on the sea, so we have to protect our ship from pirates somehow."

Sam and Tucker exchanged a look, and Tucker nodded his head with a drawn out, "Right."

"You probably shouldn't try to lie, especially to anyone in the navy," Sam suggested. "Because you kind of suck at it."

Danny's cheeks burned with embarrassment. "Are you able to touch up the blade for a fair price? Or should I try my luck elsewhere?"

"Hey," Tucker threw an arm around Danny and patted him on the shoulder, "we don't care if you're a pirate. So long as you're here to pay us for a job instead of pillaging from us."

"I'm not here to rob you. I promise." Danny had to chuckle.

"Great!" Tucker grinned widely. "Then we're all good. Sam can get to work on fixing up your sword, and we can hang out here and chat."

"Can you have it finished by tomorrow morning?" Danny asked as he sat down with Tucker, who laid out a few tools and parts to tinker with while they talked.

Sam grinned like he had just purposed a challenge to her. "I'll have it done long before then. _And_ it'll be of better quality than any of the other blacksmiths would do." She took the sword with her into the backroom.

"I'd say she's bragging," Tucker said in a hushed voice, "but she'd probably be famous if people stopped looking down on her because she's a girl. Now," he picked up a screwdriver, "what's it like being a pirate? I always get queasy when I get out on the water."

Danny smiled as he talked with Tucker. It was a shame they would only be in Cree until morning. He would have liked to stay and talk with Tucker and Sam for a while longer. But with the navy around, it was too dangerous for them to linger.


	14. Thoughts of Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his sword is ready, Danny returns to the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Christmas gift for gothiethefairy~

"And that's most of the interesting places to see here," Tucker said as they returned to the smith shop he shared with Sam. The day had passed fairly quickly as Tucker showed him around, which made it feel easier to blend in whenever they passed by officers of the navy.

"Seems like a pretty nice place you have here," Danny admitted honestly. It wasn't a bad town, though probably better when the navy wasn't camping out in it as they hunted for pirates. It seemed like a good place to settle down and spend the rest of his days. Except he had plenty of days left in his life, and he was nowhere near ready to do any settling.

"Just in time," Sam announced when she stepped out of the back room to see them. "I just finished with your sword." She drew the blade from its cane sheath to show him.

Danny released a low whistle as he walked over to her so he could better examine the blade. He almost couldn't believe it, taking the sword from Sam to test the weight and feel of it. His disbelief didn't come from the fact that Sam was a woman but by how quickly she had completed the task and of such good quality. From the way the other blacksmiths talked, Danny feared the sword couldn't be finished by the time he needed to return to the ship.

"This is amazing!" Danny stepped back so Sam and Tucker weren't in his way. Then he sliced the sword through the air a few times, running through a short series of practice swings he learned from his Captain. It felt a lot better than using his old, beaten up sword. This one had the right balance for him, and each movement flowed smoothly. His mouth pulled into a wide smile as he turned to Sam. "Seriously, I owe you way more than the price you set because this is just-" Danny fumbled for the right word, but he wasn't sure there was one for the quick and amazing job Sam did on the sword.

"How much more you got on you?" Tucker leaned back against the counter.

"Well, after deducting the fee of keeping him," Sam pointed a thumb at Tucker, "out of my hair, it would probably come out about the same."

"Hey!" Tucker protested with a frown.

Danny stared at the sword with some consideration. "Are you sure?" His brow creased as he lifted his gaze to Sam. "I'm not rich, but I could probably tip you a few extra coin."

Sam shook her head. "We set a price, and I like to stick to that. But if you're ever back in Cree and need more work done, or even want a whole new sword, you can stop by."

Danny grinned at the pair. "If we ever dock in Cree again, I'll stop by even if I don't need any work done." He liked Tucker and Sam, and he could see them being friends. But they had their work and lives here in Cree while Danny's life was at sea, sailing upon a pirate ship. But the idea that he might have friends to visit when they stopped at port made Danny happy. He wasn't exactly popular in the town where he grew up, and traveling around all the time didn't give him much time to make friends outside the crew of the ship.

"Hey, yeah!" Tucker agreed. "You should stop by here whenever you're in the area. Maybe next time, the navy won't be hanging around so you'll have more time to visit."

Danny nodded happily with a smile as he sheathed the sword. "I can't promise it, since it's up to my Captain when and where we dock, but if I can manage it, I'll definitely try to get him to stop by here again when we're in the area." He frowned slightly as he put away the cane sword so it would be hidden on his way back to the ship. "Unfortunately, I need to head back to the ship before it gets too dark."

Tucker and Sam were disappointed, but after a round of goodbyes, Danny left the blacksmith shop. Night was already falling, and he groaned as he walked toward the docks. By the time he returned to the ship, their supper would probably be long gone. Not wanting to go without eating until breakfast, he stopped by a small vendor and bought a few meat buns, and even a small jelly cake for his dessert. He felt like treating himself a little.

Danny spotted too many of the naval officers walking the streets as they kept a suspicious eye out for anyone they suspected to be pirates. He acted as normal as possible to avoid drawing their eye to him. Somehow, he managed to make it back to the ship without being stopped or questioned by the officers. As he suspected when he checked, the rest of the crew had gobbled up everything the cook made for their supper. With a shake of his head, he found a quiet place on deck to eat his meal in peace.

The day had been pleasant, if a bit chilly, as it grew into late winter. Now, sitting on the deck, the cold was biting, and Danny was glad for warm layers to protect him from the icy air. He took out one of his meat buns and nibbled on it while he watched the dark waves slowly rolling into the docks. He liked this view best. The waves were always calming to him. As he ate, he thought about the time of year. Christmas wasn't too far off, and that thought brought a frown to his face.

"You're not looking too happy."

Danny nearly choked on his mouthful of meat bun. After coughing a few times, he managed to swallow it. "Captain!" He lifted his gaze, surprised to find his Captain had come to stand next to him.

With his mouth curling upward slightly, his Captain stared down at him. "I just wanted to make sure you made it back to the ship all right. The navy gave you no trouble?" His eyebrows lifted curiously.

Danny shook his head. "I saw them harassing people, but I managed to go unnoticed." He took another bite of his meat bun, his stomach happy for the warm food.

His Captain nodded as he gazed out over the water. "And you managed do what you wanted?"

Danny's head bobbed, and he had to take a moment to swallow before he could speak again. "Found a pretty good blacksmith. If we're ever in this area again and need some new swords, we should definitely come back here."

"I shall keep that in mind." Silence passed for a few breaths while his Captain stood and Danny ate. "So why did I find you looking unhappy just now?"

Danny picked at the last of the meat bun he had taken out. "I was just thinking that Christmas is coming up."

"Ah." His Captain scratched at the hair on his chin, a thoughtful look passing through his dark blue eyes. "And you thought of returning home to your family?"

Danny shook his head. "We'd never make it there before Christmas." He leaned back, tilting his head up to stare at the stars shining in the night sky. "I was just wondering how they were doing. It's kind of hard. Wanting to live this life but missing the people you care about."

"I suppose, in a way, I'm lucky there. I don't care much for my parents, though I do worry about whether Desiree is doing all right or not." His hand absently came to rest on Danny's head, giving the raven locks a small ruffle. "I'm sure your family is doing fine but missing you dearly."

"Yeah," Danny agreed, his mouth tugging in a small smile. He hoped his parents and Jazz were doing well. He knew they should be all right, but he still worried about them and thought about them every day.


	15. Overboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cree was long behind them, but they weren't out of the clear yet.

"You know what to do?" Skulker questioned with urgency in his tone.

Danny stiffened as he saluted the second in command of the ship. "Yes, sir!"

"Good." Skulker turned to the young boy next to Danny. "Do as he," he pointed to Danny, "says. Don't argue. If he tells you to go below deck, you do it. This isn't a game. This is serious. Everyone needs to pull their weight or stay out of the way."

Youngblood nodded to his father's words. Danny was happy to see the pair were getting along, but this wasn't the time to sit and think on their relationship. He tapped Youngblood on the shoulder then gestured for him to follow. A ship was spotted behind them and gaining on them much too quickly. Their lookout warned them of it being a navy ship, which meant they would be in for a nasty fight if the navy ship caught up with them.

Captain Vlad was in a foul mood after the announcement, shouting out orders with a fury in his dark blue eyes. They had left Cree over a week ago, and it seemed like they hadn't escaped right under the naval forces' noses. How the navy could find them so quickly, none of them knew. The navy shouldn't even be able to catch up with them after the distance they had put between them and Cree where the naval force had set up base.

"Is everything going to be all right?" Youngblood questioned with a hint of worry in his voice as they hurried to help the rest of the crew prepare for an attack.

"Captain will do everything he can to keep us all safe," Danny answered. He trusted his Captain and believed in him. Captain Vlad would steer them through this. Danny had faith in that, and he never had reason to doubt his Captain. They reached their spot on the deck and got to work. Since his arrival, Youngblood had learned to take orders without arguing back like a spoiled brat, which Danny was thankful for at the moment. It made things easier on him when Youngblood listened to his orders.

"Brace!" shouted their lookout.

A moment later, their ship rocked from the explosion far too close to them. Danny hugged the side of the ship, glad he had gotten used to the sea or he might have lost his lunch with the violent swaying. Youngblood failed to respond in time. Danny watched in horror as the young boy was thrown over the side of the ship and into the water below. Without a moment to think, he climbed onto the rail. Youngblood was his responsibility. He was supposed to keep the boy safe. Skulker would never forgive him for endangering his son's life.

"Danny, don't!"

Ignoring the shout, Danny grabbed a nearby rope then launched off the rail, plummeting into the sea feet first. He took a deep breath just before he splashed into the water. Once he got his bearings about him, he searched for Youngblood while keeping a tight hold of the rope. He had to surface after a few minutes for another breath of air. Then he dove back underwater to continue looking for the boy. His panic rose as more time passed.

There! Danny swam toward Youngblood, who was struggling to break free from some vicious looking mermaids. Drawing his sword, he swung at one mermaid. She backed away with a hiss, showing off fierce razor sharp teeth. Danny had tangled with a mermaid before, but this time he wasn't caught off guard. He jabbed at her, and she swam farther away to avoid being skewered. Then he slashed at the other mermaid, managing to score a long gash along her tail before she could get away. She released a painful screech. Danny winced, but he grabbed Youngblood and pulled him toward the surface. The boy had scratches and his clothes were torn, but his injuries weren't serious.

When they broke the surface, Youngblood sucked in greedy gulps of air. Danny shoved the rope into Youngblood's hands.

"Climb!" Danny ordered, taking a moment to scan the area to check on the battle. Booms cracked the air, and water rained down on them after the bombs exploded in the sea around them. One blast hit the side of the ship, sending down splinters of wood. Shouting came from higher up as the crew worked quickly to retaliate. They had to move fast to avoid being caught in another round of the canon fire.

Youngblood didn't argue. He climbed the rope, but he froze every now and then when the canon fire hit again. Once Youngblood was halfway up, Danny snatched up the end of the rope to begin his own climb. He pulled himself up, but something jerked him back into the water, drawing him back under. Danny lost hold of the rope. Before he could reach for his sword, something wrapped around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides. He struggled as he was dragged deeper into the sea, but the hold on him was impossible to break. It tightened like a vice, squeezing him until Danny was forced to gasp, releasing what little air he had. He choked on the water flooding his lungs as darkness enveloped him.


	16. Fearsome Fathoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dangers lurked in the dark depths of the sea.

He felt like he had been crushed between two rocks. When he gasped in a breath, coughing and choking, his ribs burned in agony, and he thought for sure at least one, maybe two, were broken. His hands twitched and legs jerked, but they were securely bound, eliminating any thought of escape.

When he heard some hissing and screeching noises, Danny cracked open his eyes, tentatively and fearful of what he would find. He flinched back, his head banging against something cold and hard behind him. A mermaid floated before him, her skin a sickly green. At the waist, her flesh shifted to dark green scales. Her lips drew back to bare sharp teeth. Then she released a shrill shriek that hurt Danny's ears. He cringed when she raised her clawed hand, ready to strike at him. Her hand descended, but a trident thrust between her and Danny stopped her. Fury twisted her face, and she snapped her head to the side to glare at the wielder of the trident.

After a hissing conversation, she spun away from him, but she made sure to whack him with her tail in the process. Somehow she managed to hit him right where his ribs were broken. Danny gritted his teeth to hold back a scream, blossoms of white dotting his vision for a brief moment.

"My children wish for your death."

Danny squinted up at the speaker and gulped at the sight of the inky black body with eight long tentacles. Maybe it was the knock to his head or the smack to his ribs, but he was seeing white spots along the body, like stars dotting the black night. Sharp purple horns twisted about its head. There were stories. There were _always_ stories. But Danny never imagined he would encounter one of the fabled sea gods. His heart leapt into his throat, and he could only stare with wide eyes at the god.

"For scarring one of my children, I should bow to their wishes." The god pressed the tip of the center prong under Danny's chin. "But I thought I might let you plead your case first. If only to humor me."

Angering a sea god probably wasn't in his best interest, especially when it was probably by said sea god's power that was keeping him from drowning when he was already deep under sea. "Your _children_ ," Danny stared defiantly at the sea god, "were trying to take one my crewmates. I was merely trying to scare them off to save him. I didn't mean any harm."

"Then you should be able to understand my desire to protect my children." The sea god pushed the tip deeper under Danny's chin, the sharp point puncturing his skin.

"But my intent was never to kill your children," Danny argued. "I apologize for harming one of them, but I just wanted to frighten them off from taking my crewmate."

The red eyes narrowed at him, the sea god judging him. "While you speak truthfully, I could still use your corpse as a warning to the other humans."

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait!" Danny shouted in a panic when the sea god drew back his trident and prepared to stab the human through with it. It was only a small relief when the sea god paused. "If you know I'm being honest, do you really have to kill me? I'm no threat to your children. So," he shrugged with a weak but hopeful smile, "can't you just let me go?"

"But that wouldn't really get the message across, now would it?"

Danny tensed in panic as the trident was thrust toward him. "Stop!" he shouted, screwing his eyes shut for what little good it would do him. The sea god wouldn't listen to him. He was done for. He only wished he had been able to do more to help out his family, to be a better cabin boy for his Captain, and that at least Youngblood was safe and with his father again. When he felt no pain, Danny cracked open one eye. The sea god held the trident mere inches from stabbing Danny through the stomach, and a look of fierce determination conflicted with the confusion in his red eyes.

"What is the meaning of this?" the sea god demanded. "I, Nocturne, ruler of this sea, cannot be commanded by some mere land mortal." His arms shook with effort, straining as if some invisible force was holding him back.

Danny gulped, trying to think of an explanation but there was none coming to mind. No one could control a sea god! At least, no one outside of legends such as those about the Pirate King. He licked his lips unnecessarily. "Untie me," he tried, not believing for a second it would work.

Nocturne's expression twisted furiously as he shifted the trident and smashed the links of the chains binding Danny to the stone. "How are you doing this, mortal? Tell me!" The current picked up around them, and Danny scrambled to grab a hold on the stone slab before he was tossed out to sea and lost the god's protection. Then everything stilled again before Danny could think of commanding him to stop. "What is that?" Nocturne reached out a hand, pointing at something on Danny with a long, slender finger.

Danny followed where the sea god pointed. "My sword?" He took hold of the sword, his eyes growing wide when he saw the ruby upon the hilt glowing. He had never seen it do that while in his possession!

Nocturne backed away from him once Danny had the sword in his hands. Danny almost dared to say the sea god looked fearful of the ruby. But why would Nocturne be scared of a ruby encrusted sword hilt?

"Be gone!" Nocturne roared. "And do not dare return to my sea with that cursed object."

With a fling of the sea god's inky arm, a rush of water shoved Danny fast and far away. The pressure made his ears pop, and he could barely catch a glimpse of the passing underwater world. He clung onto the sword, waiting for the world to still again before tried to figure out which way was up. But what was that all about? What was so special about the sword? Danny's head hurt thinking about the strange encounter with the sea god. The only bright spot, thus far, was that he was alive, for now.


	17. Salvaged from the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny wakes up after his encounter with the sea god.

Danny gasped as he shot up, his heart racing a mile a minute. He gripped his shirt as he tried to steady his breathing and heartbeat. When he felt relatively normally again, he finally took a look at his surroundings. It was the cabin of a ship, much like the one back on his Captain's ship, but it was less furnished, making it feel barren by comparison.

"Okay," Danny mumbled, taking stock of his situation. "I'm on a ship. That's good, since I'm not floating lost in the middle of the sea. But," he frowned, moving to throw his legs over the edge of the bed, "whose ship is this?" If he was caught by the navy, he would be locked up in a holding cell. Instead, he was in a fairly nice room. The bed even had a comfy mattress. He wore new clothes, though they were far too big on him. His own clothes likely got ruined after his encounter with the sea god.

Danny got to his feet, wobbling for a moment before catching his balance. He needed to find answers. Quietly opening the cabin's door, he peeked out but saw no guards. Whoever picked him up didn't consider him a prisoner then. He crept along the hall, but the ship was too quiet. Where was the crew? His Captain's ship had at least a dozen men for its crew.

When he reached the deck, Danny squinted at the bright sunlight. The smell of the salty sea air filled his lungs as he breathed in deeply. The ship wasn't a big one, easily crewed by only a handful of people. He imagined, maybe, it was run by some old fisherman, but Danny was lost in the sea too far out for a fisherman. He also didn't see any equipment to indicated this was a fishing ship.

"You're awake."

Danny jumped when he heard the voice behind him. He spun around, tensing for a fight if the stranger turned out to be a foe. The man lumbered forward, his sun kissed skin already having a sheen of sweat from working the ship. He raked a hand through his mussed and windswept blond hair. Danny watched him warily, his hand absently reaching to his side but finding no sword like he was used to having. The man must have noticed the action because he lifted his hands.

"Whoa," he said, trying to keep Danny calm. "No one's going to hurt you. Though I would like to know what you were doing floating in the middle of the sea like that. It's kind of surprising you didn't drown."

Honestly, Danny was surprised to still be alive too. He relaxed but only a little. "Who are you?"

"You mean other than the guy that saved your life?"

Danny frowned slightly at the glare the man gave him. "Thank you. But I'd still like to know just who you are. What exactly were you doing out here? Or there. Wherever you found me."

"That-"

A splashing sound cut off the man. They both turned their heads as another man climbed over the rail of the ship. His bare feet hit the deck with a slap. Water dripped from him, his pants with the frayed and tattered hems clinging to his well muscled legs. Tattoos wrapped around his neck, thick dark lines against the bronze of his skin. Danny couldn't quite make out what it was supposed to be, symbols and designs completely foreign to him.

"No luck," he announced with a disappointed sigh. He finally seemed to take notice of whom else was on the deck, and his aqua green eyes flicked from the blond man to Danny and back again. "So he's awake!" An easy smile spread onto his face as he padded over to join the other two men. "I'm Kwan." He stuck out a hand to Danny, who was almost too surprised by his friendly nature to respond.

"Uh, Danny." He shook the hand, baffled by this Kwan.

"This guy," the blond man rested an arm on Kwan's shoulder and pointed to him with his other hand, "by the way, is the guy who actually saved you."

Kwan shrugged it off like it wasn't a big deal. "It was only by luck that we were in the area at the time."

"Ah, well, thank you." Danny shifted awkwardly before his gaze turned to the blond man. "You still have said who you are."

"I'm Dash." He puffed out his chest proudly. "Owner of this ship." He spread out his hand to indicate said ship. Danny wasn't impressed by it. "And we," he pointed to himself and Kwan, "are scavengers. We were out looking for wreckage when we came across you."

Danny rubbed at his forehead, feeling like he was still stuck underwater. "Where exactly are we?" He looked at the two men then hurriedly added, "I really appreciate you saving me. I do! But I need to get back to my ship. I need to find out what happened-" He bit his tongue, trying to banish the thought that the navy managed to capture his Captain. "I just need to get back."

The two men exchanged glances. "We're about two days from Sie Cott," Dash answered.

Danny frowned at the response. If he remembered his geography correctly, he was far off course from where his Captain's ship was when the navy caught up to them. He rubbed at his forehead again, this time feeling frustrated. How was he even going to find his Captain again? He didn't know where they might be at this point.

"Hey," Kwan said, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder, "it's going to be okay."

"How is this okay?" Danny muttered with his gaze cast down to the deck. "I have no way of getting back to my ship."

"Ugh!" Dash groaned overdramatically. "Are you really going to whine like a baby?" He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "If you want to get back to your precious ship so much, then stop wallowing in self pity and _think_ of a way to get back to it."

"Dash," Kwan said warningly, narrowing his eyes at his friend.

Danny shook his head. "No, he's right. I need to figure out how to get back to my ship on my own. I can't just sit and wait for the answer to fall into my lap."

"We'll reach Sie Cott in about two days," Kwan said. "Maybe someone there can be of help."

Danny nodded, though he didn't feel too confident about receiving any help on Sie Cott. "Thanks. For saving me and everything."

Dash shrugged. "This guy," he pointed a thumb at Kwan, "is a sucker for helping people. He'll probably offer to sail you anywhere you need to go to get back to your ship."

"I just like to help people." Kwan frowned at his friend. "Anyway," he turned a smile to Danny, "you're probably hungry. Give me a bit of time, and I'll get something whipped up for us." He pointed at Dash. "Don't be a jerk."

Dash held up his hands, and after a moment of the two staring each other down, Kwan walked back over to the rail. He climbed onto it then dove over the side and into the sea. Danny watched him with his eyebrows raised. After he heard the splash, he glanced toward Dash, who shrugged.

"Come on." Dash turned away. "I'll show you around the ship."

Danny hesitated for only a second, confused by Kwan's actions, before he followed after Dash.


	18. Tails of Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After he found no help at Sie Cott, Danny must find another way to get back to his Captain.

"So what's the story?" Danny asked, leaning on the rail of the ship as he stared out over the calm waters. They had stopped off at Sie Cott after two days of travel, but like Danny suspected, no one there was any help to him. Kwan somehow convinced Dash to let Danny stay aboard their ship as they continued venturing around the sea.

Dash lifted his gaze from his work of whittling a piece of wood. Danny couldn't tell what the blond man was making, but Dash seemed quite skilled at it. During down times over the days of traveling, Dash would often whip out a piece wood and start shaving away pieces of it until he had sculpted a little model.

"What do you mean?" Dash's expression was hard, guarded like he was ready to go on the defensive at any time.

Danny turned around, leaning his back against the rail. "I just mean it's not every day you see a merman traveling with a human. Or growing legs to walk on land. Or generally being nice. I might just be speaking from my experience, but my past encounters involved mermaids trying to kill me."

"Oh." Dash relaxed a little as his brow furrowed. "Well, it's not some grand epic tale, if that's what you're expecting." He carved off a curling section of the wood. "When I was ten, the ship I was on was attacked by merpeople. One of the mermaids sang, catching our captain so he sailed the ship right into some rocks that tore a hole through the hull of the ship. The rest of the merpeople were waiting eagerly for us. It was a hunting expedition. Their young had come of age to learn how to catch and kill humans. Well, Kwan," he shook his head with a small twitch of his mouth, "wasn't exactly like other merpeople. He didn't want to kill humans. He doesn't care for the taste of our flesh, he told me. Instead of killing me, he saved me, helped me get to land and away from the other merpeople. Unfortunately, his actions were considered disgraceful. His people branded him and cast him aside. Can you imagine parents doing such a thing?" He lifted dark blue eyes to Danny.

"No," Danny admitted, shaking his head. He thought of his own parents who worked hard every day to provide for him and his sister as they grew up and of how they were still working hard so they could pay for Jazz to attend the school she dreamed of. He couldn't imagine his parents ever casting him aside, even if they learned of him becoming a pirate. They might not like it, but they would never stop loving him.

"No one's ever called merpeople loving." Dash shaved off another bit of wood, a little more aggressively. "I found him half dead two weeks later. My parents were dead because of his people, but he had sacrificed his home to save me. I could never hurt him or hate him, even though it tore me up to continue living without my parents. We were all we had, so we stuck together. When I could afford it, I got this ship and we started sailing around picking up treasures from ships lost to the sea. But we have to be careful to avoid any pods of merpeople. If they see Kwan, they'll kill him. That's what those marks on his neck mean. The tattoo is a message to all other pods of merpeople that Kwan is fair game for slaughter."

"That's-" Danny frowned, lowering his gaze as he digested the whole tale. "I'm sorry. That's horrible. I wish you never had to experience something like that."

Dash shrugged. "It was horrible," he agreed. "But I came out of it with the best friend I could have ever wanted. Kwan's a great guy, and I can't imagine going through my life without him."

"At least that's one good thing." But the whole story left Danny's stomach twisting unpleasantly.

"You had a plan?" Dash questioned, leaning back against the mast of the ship. "You said you thought you had an idea for getting back to your ship, but you still haven't explained it."

"It's pretty simple really." Danny shrugged, and he couldn't believe it took him several days to think of this idea. "During my travels with my Captain, we once spoke with a female Captain. She has ways of contacting my Captain. If we go to her, I can learn of my Captain's location. Or she could contact him and let him know where I am. Then my Captain can come collect me."

"Sounds simple enough," Dash said, but his brow drew together like he suspected a trick. "So why exactly do we have Kwan scouring the bottom of the sea for treasure?"

Danny sighed. "A meeting with this Captain won't come free. If we want to speak with her and get information, we're going to need an offering."

"And you can't just use your fancy sword?" Dash's gaze darted to the sword at Danny's hip. "I bet that's worth quite a bit."

Danny frowned, placing a hand over the ruby topped silver hilt of the sword his Captain gave him. He knew it could fetch a fair amount if he sold it, but it was a gift from his Captain. Danny needed it to defend himself. There was also the new fact that he had used it to force a sea god to release him. He couldn't simply get rid of it, no matter how much money it could get him.

"I can't," Danny told Dash. "I need it." His grip tightened over the ruby.

"Hey!" Kwan called.

Dash jumped to his feet and hurried to the rail as Danny twisted around to gaze over the side of the ship. Kwan lifted an arm from the water and waved up to them.

"I found something," Kwan announced, grinning up to them.

"I hope you're ready for a swim then." Dash smacked a hand to Danny's back.

"Wait. What?" Danny turned wide eyes onto the blond man. The grin he saw didn't leave Danny with a very encouraging feeling.

"If you want treasure to give to this Captain, you're going to have to bring it up yourself. Don't worry. Kwan will help you."

"What do you - AH!" Danny barely had time to catch his breath before he was thrown overboard and splashed into the chilly waters below.


	19. Treasure Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Swimming in the depths of the sea is far nicer when a sea god isn't threatening his life.

"This is amazing," Danny said, swimming behind Kwan as he glanced around at the underwater world. His throat still tingled where Kwan created temporary gills to allow him to breathe in water. This was far different from when the sea god allowed him the same ability. He wasn't filled with fear and panic. He could leisurely observe the beautiful world under the surface of the sea. It was calm and peaceful. "Can all merpeople do this?" He gestured at his throat.

Kwan glanced back at him. "I-" He frowned. "It's not something many merpeople would admit they can do, assuming that they can. Most have probably forgotten we can do it. It," he scratched at his cheek as he looked away, "wasn't always like this. Merpeople choosing to eat humans. But that was a long, _long_ time ago. I only learned about it from reading some of our oldest records whenever I could manage to sneak into the archives."

Danny nodded, realizing his question was probably a little silly. Kwan was the only merperson who would even _want_ to help a human survive underwater. But Kwan's answer tickled something within Danny's brain. "I guess there's a lot you could have learned from those old records, huh?"

Kwan paused and turned around to face him. A sunken ship lay not too far ahead of them. "If there's something you wish to ask me, be direct about it."

Danny gulped at the sharp look in Kwan's eyes. "Was there ever anything in those records about an artifact of some sort that could, um, control sea creatures?"

"No." Kwan twisted back around, heading for the sunken ship again. "And if anything of that nature existed, it would be very dangerous."

Danny suspected Kwan might not be completely truthful with his response. But he decided to leave it at that, not wanting to anger him. He hurried to follow Kwan when he noticed him disappear through one of the ship's port holes. The inside of the ship was a wreck, clearly having taken part in battle before sinking. Looking around, Danny nearly deflated, thinking the ship was a dud for treasure. But Kwan headed farther into the ship.

"Whoa," Danny breathed in amazement when they reached a hidden room of the ship. It was loaded up with gold coins and jeweled necklaces.

"Take whatever you need," Kwan said, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded. His tail lazily flicked beneath him. The scales were a lovely shade of deep blue, sometimes seeming to shift almost to black. "But you'll have to carry it yourself. This is all your idea."

"Right." Danny looked over the treasure before him.

How much would be enough for a meeting with Captain Ember? He didn't know how much his Captain gave her when they went, and he certainly didn't want to insult her by not bringing enough payment. He stripped off his shirt then used the sleeves to tie off the head hole so he had a makeshift bag in which to carry the treasure. He scooped up as much of the treasure as he could while still being able to carry it with him back up to the ship.

"This Captain of yours must be something special for you to go through all this effort to get back to him."

Danny tested the weight of his shirt. "Wouldn't you go through the same if you were separated from Dash? He's my Captain, and he's been good to me." He frowned, lowering his gaze to the shirt full of treasure. "We were in a bad spot when I got separated from him. If he's in trouble, I'll do whatever I can to save him."

"He's lucky. To have such loyalty from you."

Danny blinked then ducked his head with a light blush. "Oh, um-" He shook his head and lifted his gaze. "I mean, you and Dash have the same kind of thing, don't you? You two have been with each other ever since- Well, that really wasn't any of my business."

"Ah." Kwan nodded, understanding washing over his expression. "Dash told you about that, huh?"

"Uh, yeah." Danny winced. "Sorry. I know I shouldn't have asked. That was completely rude of me. But," he hunched up his shoulders, "I couldn't help being a little curious."

Kwan shook his head with a teasing grin spreading over his face. "Not all of it is a pleasant memory, but we certainly weren't trying to keep it some big secret." His eyes shifted around like he was scanning for danger. "We shouldn't linger here. If you've got what you need, we should hurry back to the ship."

Danny dropped his gaze to the brand marking Kwan's neck. Remembering what Dash told him, Danny understood why Kwan was in a hurry to get out of the sea. They might be safe for the moment, but another merperson could come along at anytime while they remained inside the sunken ship. From his experiences, Danny doubted they would be lucky enough to meet a friendly merperson like Kwan.

"Right. Let's go back then." Danny clutched the shirt of treasure to his chest with one arm and used his free arm to swim. He appreciated Kwan and Dash's help, but he wasn't going to put either of their lives at risk.

Kwan took the lead once they were out of the ship. They moved cautiously, wary of every movement out of the corner of their eyes. Only schools of small fish swam nearby; otherwise, the sea was relatively calm. They made it back to the ship with no incidents, and Dash helped them back onto the deck. He whistled lowly when the wet sack clunked heavily against the wood after Danny dropped it before sitting down and leaning back on his arms.

"Think you got enough there?" Dash's eyebrow rose.

"Hopefully. Can't be too sure how much payment she'll ask just to meet with her." Danny shuddered, the gills Kwan created for him tingling as they sealed, the magic ending. "Now, we just need to reach her location." He lifted his gaze to Dash then glanced to Kwan, whose tail reverted back into legs. "You don't have to take me if you're worried it might be too dangerous. I can find another ship to take me."

Dash snorted. "Nope." He folded his arms. "You're stuck with us now. Gotta admit. I'm little curious to meet this female Captain."

With a lopsided grin, Danny nodded. "Then," he climbed to his feet, "let's set course!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is super late in being updated! I promise I haven't forgotten about it.


End file.
